


SuperQueen

by AChillyDay525



Series: SuperQueen [1]
Category: RuPaul's Drag Race RPF
Genre: Angst, Ensemble Cast, F/F, Multiple Pov, Superpowers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-19
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:08:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 64,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25988719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AChillyDay525/pseuds/AChillyDay525
Summary: In a world where super powers exist, both Heroes and Villains are trying to get ahead. As the rose-petal-and-vine-wielding Velour, Sasha helps protect her city from other Supes with more nefarious intentions - while trying to avoid having to join the Council of Heroes and catch the mysterious Couleé. Monét can't help but fall in love at first sight (in the middle of a jewelry robbery) with the awkward Hero trying to catch her. Jan is trying to get promoted from being the Council's intern when she meets Jackie, a Supe with an entirely different interpretation of what it means to be a Supe. And Kam somehow manages to fall for her hot, decidedly not Supe doctor. And the cast of characters just keeps growing. Supes have to grapple with a terrible disease, prejudice, and a city that's out to get all of them. A multi POV story that (hopefully) will eventually weave all their stories together.
Relationships: Jackie Cox/Jan Sport, Kameron Michaels/Asia O'Hara, Monét X Change/Nina West, Shea Couleé/Sasha Velour
Series: SuperQueen [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2148522
Comments: 171
Kudos: 83





	1. Sasha I

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back, back, back again, making good on my promise that basically every single adjective of this fic will be different from See Me in this cis woman superhero AU! After finishing See Me and getting so excited by the fantastic response, I had to keep writing! The writing style is going to be very different in this one, so I hope people still enjoy it! The original idea for this fic was a high-camp drag version of superheroes (think '90s Batman), but as I began planning it out I realized I was incapable of writing anything without it being ~dramatic~ so here's a story that's probably more X-Men than Batman, but I hope both of those influences come through!
> 
> Also, several queens will be shown as villains, but I want to make it clear that when this is done it's either as a commentary on the way the show depicts some queens, or because it's necessary for the plot. It is in no way any sort of judgement on these queens or who they are as people.
> 
> There will be other ships that will come into play in the story, but I'll tag those as I go along so as not to ruin the surprise!
> 
> This will be written from varying points of view, much like my last fic. However, this fic is much larger in scope, so don't be surprised if there are narrators other than Sasha and Shea!

Sasha sat on the ledge of a skyscraper, feet dangling precipitously off the edge. The city was far from peaceful, despite the lateness of the hour. Cars honked below her and a very specific echo pattern meant that she heard the entire argument between a man and his wife on why it was imperative that they hire a nanny (“only if she’s ugly,” the wife replied snidely). Sasha took a deep inhale, enjoying the fullness of her lungs, yet tasting the smog and dumpster smell that was synonymous with this area of downtown, the heat of a hot summer’s night allowing the stench to saturate the air. Her outfit itched, the red spandex chaffing at one spot on her inner thigh and her discomfort amplified by the beads of sweat that could have eroded rivers between her shoulder blades. Sasha sighed, maneuvering one hand underneath her mask to massage her temple where a headache was blossoming. It was nearly 2, and she had work tomorrow. Sometimes she truly had no idea why she did this. A staticky sound suddenly cut through the noise below; beside her, Sasha’s police scanner crackled to life.

“Robbery in progress at the Metropolitan Art Museum. Infrared alarm says Supe activity. Officers requested on scene, proceed with caution.”

Sasha sprang into action – she quickly secured the mini scanner into a pocket at her hip and launched herself off the ledge. The wind rushed past her face, causing tears to form at the corners of her eyes. She felt weightless, the ground rushing forward to meet her. Sasha loved the exhilaration of a good free fall. After years spent figuring out the mechanics of flight, it was a huge exercise of control to allow herself to just _fall_ without muscle memory kicking in. As the fifth or sixth story rushed past her, Sasha allowed her body to protect her; it felt like the atoms of her body rearranged themselves to allow her to defy gravity, although she knew logically this wasn’t the case. She propelled herself forward, moving perpendicular to the direction she had just been travelling, in the direction of the art museum.

About two minutes later, Sasha landed silently in the park next to the art museum. She shot a quick glance in every direction, hoping at this hour her landing would be undetected. The last thing she needed was to be mistaken for whomever this robber was and risk having to dodge the police. Although, Sasha mused, the outcome was likely to only be marginally better when they realized she was trying to help.

Sasha quickly located the point of entry for the villain; a large window on the second floor had been shattered. She kicked off and hovered just outside the window, noting droplets of water sliding down the intact edges and tiny pools inside the museum. Sasha landed quietly inside, careful to avoid crushing any of the glass fragments that might alert her adversary to her presence. She maneuvered through the gallery, taking a right and then a left before finally hearing a voice mutter through the darkness. Sasha hid behind a large sculpture as her eyes adjusted to the moonlit night, a figure slowly becoming visible pacing along the walls.

“Where the fuck is this Van Gogh? Ah, there it is. Jesus, all these white dudes look exactly the same.”

Sasha bit down the laugh that threatened to escape from her throat. She did have a point. Suddenly, the radio in Sasha’s pocket crackled to life and Sasha swore quietly.

“ETA five minutes, four units inbound…” The figure whipped around.

“Who’s there?” A commanding voice demanded. “I know you’re behind that ugly-ass sculpture. We can do this the easy way, or the hard way.” Sasha cursed again; the element of surprise vanished. Sasha slinked around from behind, able to finally get a good look at the intruder. She was clad in a dark blue leotard with bright white embellishments. Sasha took a moment to appreciate their similar views on gloves, with the other’s long blue gloves coming up past her elbows and on her feet were thigh-high boots. With a rather impressive heel, Sasha noted, as she tried not to linger on the muscle of her thighs. Sasha’s gaze travelled upward to her face, the woman’s dark skin and dark hair blending into the night with only simple blue mask visible, covering half of the woman’s face.

“Well, well, well,” the woman smirked. “Let’s see, red latex, blonde hair, and a devil mask? If I had to guess, I would say I’m finally getting a face-to-face with the elusive Velour I’ve heard so much about. All I need to see now are a few of those famous rose petals.”

“It’s not a devil mask,” Sasha bit back. “It’s a social commentary on the social perception of Supes.” The woman made a show of dragging her eyes up and down Sasha’s body.

“So, it is a devil mask then. It sure as hell fits in with the rest of the pretentious art in here.” Sasha’s nostrils flared.

“Who are you?” Sasha asked, finally moving to slowly circle the woman and try and push her back towards the window. “Unfortunately I haven’t had the pleasure of hearing about you yet.”

“Seems you’re not very good at your job then Hero. Call me Couleé,” Couleé answered, flipping her long ponytail behind her with one hand. “Or Miss Couleé if ya nasty. Now, are you going to be a good little Supe and let me leave with this painting, or is this gonna get ugly?” Sasha had lost the element of surprise once; she wasn’t going to do it again. Sasha thrust her right hand forward and a dozen razor-sharp rose petals fired from her fingertips. Couleé easily dodged, throwing herself into a front hand spring. Sasha swore under her breath and jerked her hand upward, redirecting the petals into the ceiling to avoid a Degas, pivoting in the half-second afterward to her right to square off with Couleé again.

“Guess it’s gotta be like that,” Couleé clucked. The next instant, Couleé’s arms flew forward and turned into jets of water. Sasha tried to weave to the left and managed to avoid one stream, but was slammed into a wall by the second, popping her back while her head crashed back against the hard surface. Sasha could feel the plaster give. Luckily, there hadn’t been any art on that one. Sasha rolled out of the way as Couleé’s arms reformed and quickly fired off again. Sasha clinched her fist and two thick vines appeared from the floor and ensnared Couleé’s legs. While Couleé aimed her arms down and severed the vine’s hold on her with a thin, scalpel burst, Sasha fired off another dozen petals, catching Couleé by surprise and drawing blood on her arms and torso.

Couleé hissed and kicked herself free of the dead vines, aiming another blast at Sasha that she almost avoided, the jet only catching her boot, but that shot her leg out from under her and Sasha spun out to the side. Sasha got up breathing heavily, examining the paintings hung from the wall and relieved to find them undamaged, as Couleé squared off against her again.

“Look, why don’t we take this outside?” Sasha proposed, her honeyed voice dripping with persuasion, although her hand still hovered halfway up to her target. “These artworks are masterpieces of human history that have survived hundreds of years, they shouldn’t be destroyed by the two of us.” Couleé blinked incredulously.

“What, do you think I’m brand new?! Why in the hell would I give up my advantage and go outside to the _park_ against the hero that can control plants?!” As if a lightbulb dinged in her head, Couleé’s eyes lit up. “But it doesn’t matter anyway, the fight’s over. You’re about to let me walk out of here with this painting.”

“Now, why in the hell would I do that?” Sasha responded, voice dropping an octave.

“Because,” Couleé smirked. “If you don’t, I’m going to destroy every piece of art in this room. Your move blondie. Either you let me leave and the world loses this the one piece of art, or we stay here and fight, destroying all of them. You’ve got five seconds to decide.”

For the third time in two minutes, Sasha swore under her breath. She spent two seconds debating, although that was only to retain a bit of dignity as there wasn’t really any choice. She lowered her hand the rest of the way as Couleé’s grin grew wider.

“Smart move kitten. I’m going to head out that door over there, and if I hear you coming after me, I flood every piece of art I see. Got it?” Sasha’s blood boiled, yet somehow she managed one terse nod.

“Better get out of here before the pigs in wigs show up,” Couleé finished as she picked up the Van Gogh and kicked off, flying towards the door. With one last wink over her shoulder, Couleé vanished.

Outside, Sasha heard faint sirens drawing closer. Sometimes she truly had no idea why she did this.


	2. Sasha II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for all the world building that happens this chapter! I wasn't meaning to put so much in this chapter, but as I started writing it, it just kind of happened. Thanks to everyone who read the first teaser chapter, and I hope you enjoy this one!

Sasha arrived at RuCo Enterprises the next day holding a large black coffee that did little to energize her after only four and a half hours of sleep. She waved to Carl, the security guard at the front desk, before using her key card to take the elevator down to the basement. She wove through the labyrinth of corridors before finding the one that led to her lab. With a quick swipe, the lock beeped and the door swung open, revealing the small lab that Sasha considered her second home.

“’Morning boss,” a voice called out and Sasha turned to see Yvie pipetting samples into small beakers.

“Good morning Yvie,” Sasha said with a smile, her first real one of the day. She worked hard to not play favorites at work, but if she were pushed, she would have to admit she had a bit of a soft spot for Yvie. Yvie was a great worker, smart, driven, and eccentric, which Sasha loved. She had only been out of school for two years and was still deciding whether or not she wanted to go back to pursue a PhD; Sasha selfishly hoped she would decide to stay in the private sector.

Sasha put her coffee cup on her desk, which was in actuality little more than a large plastic table that had good sightlines to the rest of the lab. The lab was equipped with little more than the bare minimum, but Sasha was overwhelmingly grateful for it nonetheless. RuCo Enterprises was the only company in the city – one of only four in the world – that was working to develop a cure for SCD.

Superhuman Cellular Degeneration. Or “SCAD” as it was known colloquially, standing for Supe Cancer And Death. As the name suggested, SCAD only affected Supes and current research suggested that it was triggered by an overexertion of Supe abilities, causing the mutated cells that gave Supes their power to turn on themselves and break down slowly over time. Once a Supe started showing symptoms – mostly paleness, fever, reparatory difficulties, and blood thinning – death was inevitable.

Sasha had known about SCAD even before her powers developed. Everyone had. Sasha had been born in the middle of the SCAD Pandemic, brought on about 10 years after Supes started living more openly with their powers, refusing to hide in the shadows any longer. Once her powers developed and she realized who she was, she couldn’t stand to see Supes suffering and dying while the rest of the world did _nothing_. In another world, a better world, Sasha would be an artist like she always dreamed, but not long after she cut herself manifesting her first rose petal, she dropped art and took an extra biology class instead.

Sasha heard another beep at the door and looked up. The door opened revealing Aiden, a moody gothic type who mostly kept to herself. Sasha hadn’t been sure about Aiden when she hired her, her recommendation letters had been far from glowing, but she had been first in her class as an undergraduate and, well, it wasn’t easy finding people willing to work on SCD. After a year and a half, Sasha was starting to learn how to read Aiden’s moods which made working with her significantly easier.

“Morning Aiden,” Sasha said pleasantly. Aiden pulled out her headphones.

“A new shipment came in today,” Aiden said in lieu of a greeting. Aiden dropped a medium sized box on an empty counter and Sasha went over to slice it open. Inside were about twenty boxes of PiSCes.

“Oh good, we were running low,” Yvie commented, wandering over from her station to examine the package. Sasha frowned.

“We were, but I’m sure I ordered more than this,” she said, setting the boxes in stacks of five. Yes, there were definitely only twenty and she had ordered thirty. Sasha rubbed her head as her headache from the previous evening started to return. The door clicked open again and Dusty strode in, causing Sasha to sigh with relief. If anyone could sort this out, it would be Dusty, the assistant who handled the administrative side of the lab.

“Dusty,” Sasha called. “We got the new shipment of PiSCes in, but there’s only twenty boxes. Did something happen with the order?” Dusty frowned too, confusion taking over his face.

“No, you told me thirty and I definitely put in for thirty,” Dusty said. “Don’t worry, I’ll get in touch with Purchasing today and figure out what’s up.”

“Thanks,” Sasha replied gratefully, pushing the boxes to the center of the table. Sasha always purposely over-ordered PiSCes; it was a drug that had been developed about twenty years ago that _mostly_ prevented SCAD if taken regularly. It was this drug that Sasha’s lab was trying to reverse-engineer to come up with a cure. For the most part, a cure wouldn’t be necessary if PiSCes were distributed and managed in a reasonable way, but for a Supe to get PiSCes they had to go on a government registry which was brought up any time a Supe applied for a job, housing, or basically anything. Supe discrimination was still so prolific that most would rather risk SCAD than lose their entire livelihood. Which was why Sasha always bought extra, with little oversight from management she was able to bypass the registry for herself. And she left the extra in the center of the room, unlike other materials which were locked up at night, with the unspoken rule that if anyone needed them, they could take them. Sasha wasn’t sure who (nor would she pry), but enough PiSCes for about two would always disappear from each order.

The team returned to work, Aiden examining blood samples under a microscope, Sasha and Yvie mixing some pills, and Dusty taking care of the paperwork. About fifteen minutes later, the door beeped open again and Farrah came bounding through.

“Ooooooh, I’m so sorry I’m late,” Farrah whined. “The subway was delayed and I spilled my coffee and just…ugh!!!”

“It’s okay Farrah,” Sasha said with a smile. “It happens; we just got started a few minutes ago anyway.” The pink haired girl huffed and dropped her bag near Sasha’s desk. Farrah was the intern they had taken on from the local university, and despite her near constant moaning Sasha found her quite endearing. She downplayed her intelligence for reasons Sasha couldn’t fathom and was always unsure of herself. Sasha made a note to herself to sit Farrah down soon and give her a pep talk – the girl really could do anything if she would just decide to do it. Farrah was still a kid – her animated discussions on Thursday about what plans she had for the weekend kept Sasha youthful, and in turn Farrah seemed to enjoy working for Sasha because Sasha was younger and more encouraging. In Farrah’s words “My last lab director fired me because I wouldn’t stop crying into the samples whenever he yelled at me!”

With Farrah’s arrival, Sasha’s little team was complete. Sasha had seen the budgets for other labs on the 20th floor of the RuCo building; they had teams numbering in the twenties and budgets ten times the size of Sasha’s. Sasha had been hired right after finishing her PhD and was making less than she would make probably anywhere else. But RuCo had been the only employer willing to fund a lab to research cures for SCD, so Sasha wouldn’t be anywhere else. And that work seemed to be paying off, slowly but surely. After two years they had developed their first prototype of a cure; she and Yvie needed to pack up these pills by 3 p.m. today so they could be delivered to the hospital for their first human trials. Sasha buried herself in her work, getting both the drug and the placebo ready.

At 2:45, there was a knock at the door and Sasha groaned, Dusty throwing her a knowing smirk. As Dusty answered the door, Sasha was faced with the only downside of getting these pills off to human trials: Shea. Shea was the liaison between the RuCo Enterprises Pharmaceutical Department and the St. Carson Metropolitan Hospital and _always_ thought she knew how to run a clinical trial better than Sasha. _Of course_ Shea would come to the lab to pick up the pills personally.

“Hey Dusty,” Shea greeted cheerfully. “I’m here to grab the pills to take to the hospital, are they ready yet?”

“Hi Shea! You’ll have to ask Sasha, but I think they’re almost ready,” Dusty replied, completely and knowingly throwing Sasha under the bus.

“Shea!” Farrah squealed, finally snapping out of her work trance and jumping up from her stool. As she tackled Shea in a hug, Sasha braced herself and turned around, taking in the magnetic woman’s deep red long-sleeved shirt that the set off her smooth skin, her white pants that hugged her curves maybe just a _bit_ too much to be professional (not that Sasha was staring), and her red heels that let her tower six inches over Sasha in flats.

“Oh, are these scratches on your hand? What happened?” Farrah asked, holding Shea’s hand in her own. Shea threw her head back and laughed.

“I may have gotten a little bit wine drunk at a friend’s place last night and tried to play with her cat, who _did not_ want to be played with,” Shea replied with a grin.

“And here I thought you got those scratches from another kind of pussy!” Farrah giggled. Shea winked.

“That’s only on weekends.” Farrah squealed at the response and slapped Shea lightly on the arm. Sasha felt a heat rise up in her stomach and tried to control her face from flushing. She couldn’t help but envy the way Shea was able to be so open about her sexuality. Sasha had spent so much time hiding her powers that when she finally figured out she was gay, it was second nature to hide that too.

“Sasha,” Shea said looking up and noticing her for the first time. “Are those pills ready yet?”  
  


“Almost,” Sasha replied, trying to keep a clipped tone from her voice. “If you want to take this batch out to your car, the last few pills should be done by the time you get back.”

“Sure,” Shea agreed, doing her best to keep her voice neutral as well. Dusty offered to help Shea take the boxes out and the rest of the team scattered as Sasha focused on binding the last few pills together.

“Sasha,” Shea’s voice said from right behind her a few minutes later. Sasha jumped, almost dropping the pill she was holding.

“Yes Shea?” Sasha questioned, only a slight irritation bleeding through.

“Sasha, I need to ask you for a favor,” Shea said in a low volume, moving beside Sasha. Sasha turned to her, intrigued yet confused.

“What is it?” Sasha asked, guarded. Shea exhaled.

“Look, Sasha, there are these three girls at the hospital – kids, really, one’s nineteen and the other two are sixteen. They’ve been living on the streets since their parents kicked them out. They had to use their powers to get by and didn’t have anyone to teach them about SCAD so…” Shea shrugged, as though the rest was obvious, and in actuality, it kind of was. Sasha thought she saw a hint of tears forming at the corner of Shea’s eyes. Shea sighed again. “They’re really, really sick. Especially the oldest girl, she was taking care of the other two. Can you just…is there a way to make sure they get the drug and not the placebo?” Sasha’s heart broke, just as it did every time she heard a variation of this story, but there was nothing she could do.

“Shea, I can’t risk the integrity of this trial,” Sasha said as gently as she could manage. “I’m sorry, that’s awful, but I have to look at the big picture. If we get caught tampering with this trial, I could lose the funding for this lab and then _even more_ kids will die.”

“Big picture?! Sasha, if we’re not in this to save innocent kids then why are we even here? What does the big picture matter if we can’t use what we have to save lives?!” Shea’s voice started to rise and Sasha saw Aiden look up.

“Shea, if you can’t see that I am doing my _best_ to save as many people as I can, then I don’t know what I can say to convince you!” Sasha retorted angrily. “I _have_ to play by the rules so that five, ten years from now, no kid dies from SCAD.”

“That doesn’t mean the rules are fair,” Shea hissed. “And sometimes you _can_ have both. I know better than anyone how easily you could get away with this.”

“They may not be fair, but they’re all we have,” Sasha pushed back, trying to keep herself from tearing up at the heated conversation. “I can’t risk this cure – not for anyone.” Sasha sealed the last pill and put it in the container. “Here’s the last batch, Shea. Now not even I could tell the difference between the drug and the placebo without a mass spectrometer.” Shea shook her head angrily and snatched the bottle from Sasha’s hand, dropping it in the box with the rest. She grabbed it and wheeled around, but Sasha stopped her for a second with her hand on Shea’s arm.

“Shea, I hope those kids get the drug, I really do,” Sasha said earnestly. Shea just stood for a second before shaking her head with a huff and pulling away.

“Do you need any help with that?” Dusty called to Shea as she approached the door.

“I’m fine!” Shea snapped back at him before disappearing out the door. Dusty was taken aback, Farrah looked up in confusion, while Sasha exhaled and Aiden just looked at her sympathetically.

Later that night, Sasha found herself roving the rooftops itching for a good fight. Interactions with Shea always left her like this, whether Shea was telling her about experimental homeopathic remedies for SCAD or shoving grant applications down her throat. Sasha rolled her shoulders back, stretching out her arm muscles and forcing herself to put Shea out of her mind. Her police scanner was silent, so Sasha kept watch over the alleyways and dark streets as many had retired home for the evening. Suddenly, Sasha heard a woman’s shriek come from a block over. Sasha kicked off and flew that way as fast as she could, landing hard on the asphalt of a dimly lit alley. She took in the situation as quickly as she could: a woman, trying to hold onto her purse and a man in a ski mask holding a gun, trying to pull it from her. Sasha tried not to roll her eyes. At least she didn’t have to deal with a Supe tonight.

“Aww shit, a Supe!” the man snarled, taking a step back as his gun wheeled around to point at Sasha, his hand now shaking.

“Put the gun down and no one has to get hurt,” Sasha said warningly.

“No fucking way bitch!” the man yelled. Sasha looked over at the woman.

“Leave,” she said simply and the woman nodded once, eyes wide in fright. The woman turned and ran, leaving Sasha alone with ski mask man.

“Shit,” he swore, and Sasha saw his finger tighten on the trigger. Before the gun even flashed, Sasha rolled to the side, throwing her hand forward and wrapping vines around his feet.

“Fuck, fuck!” the guy started screaming as the vines tightened and slithered up his waist. The man took the gun and fired down at them, twice, before howling in pain as the bullet pierced through the vines and into his leg. Sasha aimed a few rose petals into his hand, knocking the gun away as the vines tightened just a little bit more, enough to make the man pass out. Sasha heaved an exhale and stood up.

Suddenly, Sasha heard a swoosh behind her and wheeled around, prepared for a real fight this time. She relaxed as she realized her intruder was only Peppermint, one of the more famous heroes in the city and the only one that Sasha interacted with on a semi-regular basis.

“Pep,” Sasha said warmly by way of greeting. “What are you doing here?”

“I heard the commotion and thought I would check it out, but it seems you’ve taken care of everything here,” Peppermint said, gesturing toward the now unconscious robber.

“Wasn’t much to take care of,” Sasha shrugged. Peppermint’s red and white leotard with large shoulder pads glowed under the faint yellow streetlights. “Just a simple mugging; I have no idea why these guys with guns ever think it’s a good idea to fight us.”

“Misogyny?” Peppermint offered and Sasha let out a deep laugh.

“That probably has something to do with it.”

“I’m glad I caught up with you Velour, I was actually on the lookout for you,” Peppermint said, redirecting her full attention to Sasha.

“Oh?” Sasha inquired, curiosity piqued.

“Let’s get out of here before we have company; I’ll fill you in elsewhere.” Sasha nodded in agreement, and the pair took off under the cover of darkness.

“So, what do you want from me?” Sasha asked as the wind rippled through her hair from atop the largest building in downtown, fifty-five stories high.

“We’ve heard rumors of a couple villains banding together with a plot to put some kind of concoction in Trixie Cosmetics,” Pep said. “We have no idea what their endgame is.”

“And by “we” you mean the Council, right?” Sasha pushed back. Peppermint sighed, the well-worn argument between them starting again.

“Yes, the Council. We’re meeting tomorrow and I’d like you to be there,” Peppermint answered.

“I still have no desire to join the Super Friends,” Sasha replied shaking her head. “I work better alone.”

“Yeah, well Couleé and the stolen Van Gogh might disagree,” Peppermint shot back and Sasha winced. “If you had come to the last Council meeting, you would know that we clocked her making moves two weeks ago.” Both were silent for half a second.

“Look, you don’t have to join. But the villains _are_ starting to band together in this city, and it’s dangerous for you to go out there alone without all the information. We know Hamasaki and Blac are involved in this Trixie Cosmetics thing because those two are about as subtle as fireworks on Christmas Eve, but who knows who else is tangled up in the plot. Just come to the meeting tomorrow Velour, we could really use your help.” Sasha closed her eyes, conceding.

“Same time and place?”

“Same time and place.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Each Supe outfit is inspired by a real look the queen has! At some point soon, I'll figure out how to post link to photos of them because 1) they're beautiful and should be appreciated and 2) I think it really adds to the flavor of the story!


	3. Shea I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this plot and world-building is starting to get out of control and for that I deeply, deeply apologize but I don't think it's going to let up for at least a few more chapter so please bear with me!!! Thank you to everyone who is reading and leaving feedback, I appreciate it so much and it's really helping to keep me motivated to keep writing!!!
> 
> I hope this explains a lot about Shea and being a villain and I hope you like this backstory!

Shea drove away from RuCo fuming.

“FUCK that woman and her warped priorities and her holier-than-thou attitude,” Shea seethed as she aggressively changed lanes, causing the car behind her to honk loudly.

“AND FUCK YOU TOO,” Shea yelled to the driver, although they couldn’t possibly hear her. Interactions with Sasha always left her like this, with Sasha thinking she knew _everything_ and her self-righteous attitude and constantly trying to make Shea feel like a shitty person for realizing that sometimes it was only possible to do the right thing by going outside the rules.

‘Just one good hate fuck would fix everything,” Shea thought to herself, still not daring to voice the words aloud, even alone in her car. Sasha and her stupid red glasses and soft blonde hair always made Shea want to throw her against the nearest wall, shove her endlessly practical pencil skirt up to her hips, and pop all the buttons off her blouse. She wanted to throw Sasha’s leg over her shoulder and make her beg Shea for more and feel Sasha’s fingers pulling her hair with Shea in total control and…

“Goddamnit,” Shea swore aloud again, slamming on her brakes as she completely missed the car in front of her stopping at a red light. After the car skid to a stop, Shea pinched her nose, careful to avoid smudging her makeup, which sent a bolt of clarity through her brain. As the light changed and the car in front of her moved forward, Shea let out a heavy exhale. She needed to stop letting Sasha affect her like this. She worked with eight other lab directors at RuCo and she got along brilliantly with all of them. Whatever. If Sasha wasn’t going to help her, Shea had other means at her disposal.

“Dr. O’Hara!” Shea called breathlessly as she was allowed past the reinforced steel doors that led to the tiny Supe ward on the top floor of the hospital. The ward certainly didn’t have the top floor because the hospital directors wanted Supes to have the best view, but rather, that in the event of a Supe “outburst” as few people would be harmed as possible. There had never been an issue. But as Shea strode into small waiting area, Dr. O’Hara looked up from her position at the nurses’ station and let out a wide, bright smile.

“Shea! How great to see you!” the beautiful doctor beamed. “I’m so excited for this clinical trial!”

“Me too,” Shea agreed warmly. “I think Sasha’s really onto something here; I have high hopes at least.”

“I think so too, the notes she sent me on how the drug should work look very promising,” Asia agreed. “I would love to meet her sometime; she is absolutely brilliant.”

“Be careful what you wish for,” Shea snorted and Asia raised an eyebrow.

“So, do you want to show me what to do with these?” Asia prompted, gesturing to the boxes Shea had carried in.

“Oh, definitely!” Shea said with a slight blush, remembering why she was here. Shea opened the first box that was subdivided into thirteen smaller compartments, with three prescription bottles in each.

“Each of these compartments has the medication for one patient and each bottle is labelled with a number just so there’s no confusion. One patient should get all the pills labelled ‘1’ and another patient should get all the pills labelled ‘2’ and so on. There are three stages – give each patient the red pills twice a day for two weeks, then the green pills twice a day for three weeks, and then the blue pills once a day for one week. There’s enough for 13 patients in each box, so every patient in your ward, and there’s a random 50/50 mixture of the drug and the placebo. I know Sasha’s told you that she can’t have any contact with you until the trial is over, and trust me she’s gonna to stick to that. Any questions you have should go through me and I can try to help you, and then if we have to get Sasha involved, we can. Any questions?”

“No, that’s all pretty straightforward,” Asia replied, nodding her head and examining one of the pill bottles. “Can we get started tomorrow?”

“That would be _perfect_ ,” Shea sighed, and Asia gave her a sad smile.

“Are you going to see the girls before you go?”

“Of course,” Shea replied softly. “How are they doing doc?” Asia shrugged.

“Kenzie and Khloe are doing ok; they aren’t getting any worse at least. I had to fight with the ethics board, but I got approval to give them mild corticosteroids that have helped with the worst of their breathing difficulties. I’m more worried because tests are showing their blood is beginning to thin. We still have time, but once it gets too thin there’s going to be a lot of risk of internal bleeding, especially when the respiratory problems get beyond what the steroids can control. All of that violent coughing and gagging is bound to break some ribs and if they puncture a lung or other internal organs, well, that’s one of the leading “official” causes of death for SCD.”

“Jesus,” Shea said softly. “So why did you have to fight the ethics board? There’s no risk that they’ll take them off the corticosteroids is there?” Asia shook her head.

“Not for now at least. It’s always an uphill battle with ethics boards for SCD patients because the overall prognosis is fatal and anything we give is only palliative care. That’s the official reason they give, anyway, but that doesn’t make much sense because it wouldn’t even _be_ an ethics question for a cancer patient. It’s really that they want Supes as sick as possible to minimize the risk of power eruptions in the hospital. And it doesn’t help that only people assigned female at birth have the mutations to be Supes,” Asia added. “That makes SCD “just” a women’s issue which is compounded when the patient is a black female.”

“As if this world isn’t hard enough on black women,” Shea spat out bitterly.

“I know,” Asia sighed sadly. “Seeing these women come here just to die a horrible death…well, I’m just glad we have Sasha on our side.”

“And how’s Bambi?” Shea asked, diverting the conversation away from Sasha. Asia looked at her with sad eyes.

“I’m not going to lie to you Shea, I don’t think she has much time left. She can’t leave her bed and there’s nothing we can do anymore to break the fever. It hasn’t been below 102.3 since Thursday. She’s having a lot of trouble breathing and we can’t draw blood anymore to check her cell degeneration; the last time we did it took us four hours to stop the bleeding. I think…it might be best to say a thorough goodbye today, just in case.”

“Shit,” Shea said, hands trembling. She took a steadying breath, unable to hide the shudder that went through her body. “Can I…can I go see Bambi first?”

“Of course,” Asia murmured soothingly, gesturing towards Bambi’s room. Shea knocked three times before hearing a very faint ‘come in’. Shea opened the door to the small room and bit her lip to not gasp in shock at the appearance of the teen. Shea had last visited about a week ago, and the change in Bambi’s appearance since then was drastic. Her cheeks had hollowed out and her eyes were glassy; all of the sudden a violent cough spasmed through her body and Shea jumped forward to hold her hand and help prop her upright.

“Hey Shea,” Bambi said with a weak smile as the coughing fit passed.

“Hey little deer,” Shea said softly, still not letting go of the young girl’s hand. “How are you feeling?” Bambi shrugged and let out another violent cough. Shea used her free hand to stoke the other girl’s head, just like her mom had done when she was little. As Bambi settled again, Shea noticed the girl was shivering and grabbed another blanket from the corner of the room, tucking the girl in tightly.

“Look, Bambi,” Shea started quietly, reaching into her purse. “I managed to get my hands on experimental cure. You need to take these twice a day, and keep them out of sight from the doctors, do you think you can do that?”

“What about Kenzie and Khloe?” Bambi rasped out. Shea’s hand clinched tightly around the bottle.

“I only have enough for one right now, but I promise you I’m working on getting more. Any day now.” At Shea’s words, Bambi shook her head.

“No. I can’t. Give it to one of the twins.”

“Bambi, you don’t have much time left,” Shea urged, running her hand down the girl’s arm. “I can get them the medicine in a day or two, you have my word. But you have to start taking these _now_.” Tears started to gather in Bambi’s eyes, and the sight nearly shattered Shea.

“I think it’s too late,” Bambi said quietly. Shea shook her head vigorously.

“You don’t _know_ that!”

“I do,” the girl replied, tears falling down her face. “I can tell, my body…my body’s almost done.” Shea started to cry too, squeezing Bambi’s hand and wiping the tears from her eyes.

“Shea, when I’m…gone…can you watch out for the twins? They don’t have anyone and I don’t want them to be alone…”

“Of course I will,” Shea cut the girl off. “I will, I promise, and the woman who invented this cure is…very smart,” Shea admitted begrudgingly. “When this cure works and they get out of here, they’ll stay with me until it’s time for them to go off to college.” A soft smile graced Bambi’s face.

“College…Kenz is going to be some kind of scientist, I just know it, and Khloe will do something useless like fashion but somehow make it work because she’s Khloe.” Shea laughed quietly.

“That sounds exactly right.”

“Can I ask you for one last favor?” Bambi asked, right as another coughing fit began.

“Anything little deer,” Shea said once the fit had subsided, voice cracking.

“I’m…I’m scared. Can you just…stay here, for a little while?”

“Of course,” Shea murmured soothingly. It wasn’t the first SCAD bedside she had sat beside, but it was certainly the most painful. With any luck however, with _Sasha_ , it might just be the last. Shea began painting Bambi a picture with her words, describing the art museum confrontation from the night before in vivid detail. Bambi’s eyes widened as she lived vicariously through Shea, not having used her power to phase through objects in months. However, Shea altered one tiny detail of the encounter: she put herself in the shoes of Velour, wanting Bambi to see her as the hero. And, just as much, wanting to see _herself_ as the hero.

A few hours later, Bambi stopped breathing. Shea held the twins close as they cried, Shea’s tears all dried up. She had a job to do, after all.

“Oddly!” Shea called, landing silently through the hole in the roof of the abandoned warehouse where she had delivered the Van Gogh. “It’s Couleé. I need those other pills.” A dark green thick liquid began to emerge from a crack in the concrete floor, and the woman reformed, her torso starting to solidify as her limbs took shape. She was clad in her standard short-sleeve satin body suit, with tiny straps and shorts stopped at her mid-thigh. Her black hair was slicked back, the front styled to a point in the middle of her forehead. Her matching green mask jutted up in green points to either side, with a look reminiscent of a cobra about to strike.

“Miss Couleé,” Oddly smirked, voice dripping with honey. “Who would have guessed I’d see you back here so soon?” Shea rolled her eyes. Oddly _was_ certainly formidable and Shea had no desire to go toe-to-toe with her tonight, especially considering she was the only one who would give her the drugs she needed, but she lost some of her intimidation factor since Shea absolutely knew her “secret” identity. Really, did Oddly think she was brand new? It was probably unfortunate for her that Shea also worked in the vicinity of Sasha’s lab, but only someone with Level 3 access to that lab could procure the drugs she needed and Yvie was the only black girl there. But of course, Shea couldn’t _say_ she knew Oddly’s identity since it would make her own pretty obvious as well.

“I need the other drugs,” Shea said in a clipped tone. “Let’s get right to the point, what do you want me to do? Feeling like a Picasso this time?” Oddly laughed her sinister laugh.

“Oh no Couleé, your little museum expedition was just to see if I could trust you. You said you need two more doses?”

“Just one,” Shea said, voice cracking. Oddly turned to her with a confused expression.

“But I thought…oh. I’m sorry,” Oddly said, realizing what that must mean. Shea saw sadness cross her face as well, Oddly’s green eyes plastering over with grief.

“My…friend, Scarlet. The same, our second year of college. I don’t know why she got it and I didn’t,” Oddly said softly, supervillain façade fading. “Look, Couleé, I would have asked you to do the same thing for one dose or two. Think you’re up for it?”

“Anything,” Shea replied steely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for making this chapter so SAD I even made myself sad proof-reading it, so I hope (don't hope?) that it hits as hard for you all reading. 
> 
> Anyway, as far as costume looks, Sasha's is inspired by one from instagram where she's wearing a red latex outfit with a mask (that I can no longer find, so if you can, that's the outfit).
> 
> Shea's is her AS5 crowning look (iconic!), but as a body suit so she can move around.
> 
> Pep's is a variation of her Club Kid look from Season 9 (although much simpler).
> 
> Yvie's is her entrance look! Also adapted to be easier to move around in.


	4. Nina I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here's the next major storyline! Idk when I fell in love with this ship too, but I read some with Monet and Nina as a background relationship and then there are some truly great stories about them on here. Their dynamic just seemed perfect to plug into this universe, so I hope everyone enjoys reading this chapter as much as I loved writing it! 
> 
> Nina's costume is from this instagram pic, if anyone's interested: https://www.instagram.com/p/ByHFlJlHAAH/
> 
> Monet's is her season 10 promo look! It's amazingggg it was one of the major inspirations to start this story because it looks so much like a super hero outfit to me!
> 
> Thanks again to everyone reading and leaving feedback, seriously I am OBSESSED so if you like this story, or have any thoughts or ideas where this is going, don't hesitate to leave a comment! Thanks!!!

Nina was not Hero material, and she kept reminding herself of that as she ducked behind a large pipe on the roof of a building so as not to be spotted by a couple in their living room from the building next door. Only after she ducked did Nina realize that, with them in the light and her in the dark, it was infinitely easier for her to see them than it was for them to see her. Great. Day one on her own out here and she was already embarrassing herself. Nina didn’t even know how to _find_ criminals, yet somehow she had convinced Brooke that she was prepared enough for a night fighting crime on her own while Brooke met with the rest of the Council. Nina kicked off and flew around the southwestern side of the city, where some crime was known to take place, as low as she dared without being spotted by locals.

Seeing nothing, she turned north and found herself in the jewelry district. Villains like jewels, right? After flying for a few minutes, Nina nearly fell out of the sky in shock as she noticed a shadowy figure breaking down a back door. The figure disappeared inside the building, and Nina had to remind herself that _now she had to catch them_. Nina accelerated toward the building and touched down as lightly as she could manage, peering inside the open doorway.

It appeared to be an empty break room, so Nina went inside, hovering just a few inches off the ground so her footsteps wouldn’t give her away. In the dark, Nina was jumpy, flinching at the rustle of wind blowing through the back door, certain that some sort of ghost or zombie was just waiting to jump out at her. Momentarily, another open door stood before her, and Nina heard a loud CRASH of glass shattering. Nina flinched causing her to nearly shoot up and smack into the ceiling. Nina poked her head through the door where the robber was too distracted shoving jewelry into a bag to notice her. It was time. Nina took a deep breath and left her sheltered position behind the door.

“S-stop what you’re doing right now!” Nina demanded, cursing the nervous stutter in her voice as the figure behind the counter looked up sharply. It was then that the orange streetlights illuminated the intruder’s face and torso. The woman was beautiful, Nina noticed immediately, even with half her face covered by a mask. She had short, blue hair and a blue catsuit with orange accents and long orange boots. The woman’s surprise instantly turned to amusement as she took in Nina’s appearance.

“Now here’s a new face. That’s some outfit you’ve come up with,” the woman’s voice had a musicality to it, the rhythm deep and intoxicating, which made Nina flush. Nina glanced down briefly at herself in confusion, forgetting momentarily that her costume was blue and neon pink.

“Speak for yourself,” Nina replied, gesturing wildly towards the other’s similarly vibrant costume, indignation even causing her to forgo the stutter. The woman threw her head back and laughed loudly, the surprise volume making Nina jump.

“Fair enough,” she said once her laughter was back under control. “Haven’t seen you around here before. What should I call you?”

“West,” Nina said, mustering up all the courage she could, sticking her chin up defiantly. The mystery intruder cocked her head slightly.

“As in Kanye or the direction?” she questioned.

“…like the direction,” Nina answered, feeling slightly confused. “How would it be like Kanye?”

“Well I don’t know, you could have the power to write dope-ass raps,” the woman answered, her voice rising an octave. “Although I suppose then it would be more likely to be Cardi, Minaj, or Missy though…” she said musingly, more to herself than Nina.

“And what should I call you?” Nina interrupted her train of thought, eager to get whatever this was back on track. The mystery woman looked back to Nina.

“You can call me X-Change,” she replied, looking a bit proud of herself.

“Exchange?” Nina asked quizzically. “Like a money exchange?”

“No,” the woman said, rolling her eyes but the wide smile on her face suggested Nina wasn’t in immediate danger. “X-Change, like the letter ‘X’ then the word ‘Change’.”

“How is that different from Exchange?” Nina asked dryly, unable to keep her own smile off her face. X-Change scoffed good-naturedly.

“For one, it looks much, _much_ cooler,” X-Change replied, smile growing even wider.

“And you had the _audacity_ to ask me if West was like Kanye?” Nina asked skeptically, causing X-Change to throw her head back in another delighted laugh.

“Oh, I like you,” she smiled. Nina smiled back at her stupidly, a beat of awkward silence passing between them.

“So, uh, what are we supposed to do now?” Nina asked timidly. X-Change looked at her incredulously.

“What is this, your first day Hero?!” Nina remained silent, cheeks exploding into flame-red. X-Change’s jaw dropped. “This is your first day?” Nina bit her lip and nodded, feeling embarrassed but comfortable enough that X-Change had no immediate plans to destroy her. A cat-like grin passed over X-Change’s face.

“Well then Hero, it’s time for school. Lesson one: always be ready for a fight,” she said, lifting her hand which caused three pieces of jewelry to levitate off the ground. One flung towards Nina who pushed up off the ground before swerving sideways to avoid it. Nina craned her head as it whooshed past her, wondering why X-Change sent this flying her way. Distracted, another ring flew at her and hit Nina right in the stomach. Instead of bouncing off as she expected, it pushed her back with the force of a softball, momentarily knocking the breath out of her.

“X-Change as in ‘exchange the weight of objects’,” X-Change said, still smiling and clearly pleased with herself. “I could make this necklace hit you with the force of a feather, or with the force of a tank.” Still a little out of breath, Nina raised her own hand and X-Change shot across the room, wrist first. She hit the wall hard with a bit of a crack and groaned. Nina gasped – damn it, she hadn’t meant to make it that strong! Nina flew over to X-Change at top speed, landing quickly right next to her.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to do it that hard, are you okay?! I’m still trying to figure out how much force people need…” Nina rushed out, touching X-Change’s wrist and deactivated where it was still stuck to the wall. X-Change let out a dry chuckle and touched her head.

“Let me guess, West as in magnetism, right?” X-Change groaned.

“Yeah, I just increased the magnetic field between your bracelet and a pipe in the wall,” Nina answered guiltily through a worried expression. “But are you okay? Is your wrist broken?” X-Change grabbed her wrist and rolled it, popping back up laughing.

“Lesson two Hero: never stop to make sure the villain is okay. Some of them play a bit dirtier than I do,” X-Change said with a wink, and reached her hand out to help Nina up. Nina grabbed it and X-Change pulled her upright, causing Nina to flush again at the contact.

“I guess I was wrong the first time Miss West,” X-Change said with bright eyes, making no move to let go of Nina’s hand. “Pink is a pretty good color on you.” Nina was at a loss for words, she could feel her cheeks turning an even darker shade. All of the sudden, the moment was shattered by sirens turning onto the street.

“Well, took them long enough,” X-Change scoffed. “We both better get out of here. I’ll even leave the diamonds for you to give back so you’re in their good graces. I’d leave them some kind of message like ‘You’re Welcome’ and your name so the cops know that you’re one of the good guys. But don’t stick around. The cops aren’t exactly fans of any Supe.”

“Thanks,” Nina said in wonder. X-Change turned to look at her.

“Be safe out there,” X-Change said, voice softening.

“You too,” Nina whispered back. With a nod and one last smile, X-Change took off and flew out the back door. When she was gone, Nina turned back to the scattered jewelry on the floor, effortlessly sensing which ones were made of nickel and aluminum alloys that she could adhere to the wall, as ones made of pure silver or gold didn’t have any magnetic properties. She started arranging the jewelry into her message when suddenly she heard noises behind her.

“Freeze! Hands where we can see them!” Nina wheeled around, cursing that she had been so distracted that she had forgotten about the police. Four officers with guns drawn were staring her down and Nina gulped.

“I-I’m a Hero, my name’s West. I already stopped the robbery, look, you can have these back!” she stuttered out.

“That may be, but unpermitted use of powers is a class 2 felony. And wearing a costume that obscures the identity is a class 4 misdemeanor. You’re under arrest, come with us quietly,” the lead officer growled out. Nina felt sweat roll down her back. She absolutely could not get arrested. Brooke Lynn’s campaign manager _could not_ be outed as a Supe.

“Sorry guys, I can’t let that happen,” Nina squeaked out and quickly magnetized all their guns, causing them to fly up and stick the ceiling just underneath an aluminum pipe. Without waiting to see if they were still going to chase her, Nina took flight and sped out the back door, right where X-Change had left. It was only when Nina got several stories up that she stopped to breath, letting out a long exhale. It had certainly been an eventful first night.


	5. Monét I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are with a short little update of Monét's take on the events of last chapter! I decided to push this chapter up so everyone could get Monét's side of the story while Nina's was still fresh. I'm a little bit worried that the world is getting too big too fast, so if I need to slow it down some or trim down the number of characters please let me know! I have the basic 3 arc structure of this story planned out and about the next 4 chapters planned out in quite a bit of detail. The next chapter is going to be the Council meeting, and it's going to be told from the POV of another main character that we haven't met yet! Any guesses who? Or any guesses who's on the Council? Let me know in the comments, I love, love, love any feedback!

Monét landed on the roof of the short, 4-story building that housed her apartment. When apartment hunting, she had deliberately chosen a place surrounded by office buildings that were never occupied at night, making her landing invisible even in the crowded city. The safety precautions of returning home, such as avoiding streetlights and taking a convoluted route home to avoid being followed, were second nature now. Monét’s mind had yet to leave West. She had never met a Hero who actually seemed to care about the “villains” at all, let alone worrying about breaking their wrist. West was different, Monét decided as she pushed open the door that had been left cracked open. As she descended down the staircase and weaved through the halls, Monét remembered the way West had looked so adorably out of place, red hair falling along the sides of her face, and how happy Monét had been to set her at ease, enjoying the way she hadn’t seemed to overthink any of her banter with Monét. Monét couldn’t wait to do it again.

“Well, well, well, look who’s the last one back,” Roberta drawled from her place on the couch, legs dangling over the arm rest as Monét stepped through the front door she shared with Bob and Brianna. Monét’s eyes flickered over to the chipped, wooden, third-hand dining room table where Brianna was counting bills.

“Hey Monét. How was your haul?” she asked with a smile, setting down hundred-dollar bills in piles of twenty. Monét shook her head and sighed.

“Had a run in with a new Hero. Her name’s West. I wasn’t able to get away with anything,” Monét said, trying to keep her voice apathetic so as not to alert Bob that anything was strange. She didn’t need Bob grilling her about why she didn’t have an actual fight with West. Judging from the narrowing of Bob’s eyes, it wasn’t working.

“Why you acting strange and shit?” Bob asked, not moving from her spot on the couch. “When you have to go up against Del Rio, Crystal, or A’Keria you always come in here whining and moaning and giving us a play-by-play.”

“For your information Roberta I do not always do that!” Monét snapped. “And can I not just be a little embarrassed about a baby Hero completely spoiling my heist?” Brianna looked up again as she set another stack of bills in a pile.

“Was she hot?” Brianna asked, as usual getting right to the heart of the issue.

“H-how am I supposed to know, she was wearing a _mask_ ,” Monét sputtered, heart starting to race. Game over. Brianna looked over at Bob and they exchanged one of those looks that, despite how long Monét had known both of them, was understandable only to the two of them.

“She was hot,” Brianna supplied to Bob. Bob rolled her eyes.

“Look Monét, I know you fall in love every other week but you’ve got to _focus_. One slip-up – _just one_ – and you’re in _prison, honey_. And I do not want to have to come break you out. Plus, if you keep coming back empty-handed, we are literally _never_ going to have enough money for the farm. It’s not just about us, it’s about all the other Supes we can give a safe place to stay. Which, speaking of Bri, what are we up to now?”

“$18,300,” Brianna answered with a heavy sigh, putting down the last of the cash. “We can probably get another $4,500 or so from the electronics we got tonight, but that still leaves with another roughly $80,000 to go.”

“Christ,” Bob swore. She rubbed her eye and her mascara smudged. “I’m going to go take a shower and go to bed. We’ll talk tomorrow after work about where we want to hit next.”

“It might be a good idea to take a few days off,” Brianna said, leaning back in her chair and removing her pink gloves. “We’ve gone out three times in the past week and if more Heroes are roaming around, it might be a good idea to lay low for a little while.” Bob shook her head.

“Nah, normally I’d agree with you, but I ran into Smalls tonight. Bitch loves talking shit about Berry and said Berry, Blac, and Hamasaki are doing some stupid half-baked scheme at Trixie Cosmetics and the Council is all up in arms about it. We should try and squeak some jobs out while they’re distracted. Relax, you’ll get time to see your girlfriend next week.”

“I’m not worried about time with my girlfriend, I’m worried about the Council and police turning their attention to us. We’ve been able to skate by fairly undetected so far, but overdoing it could get them to turn the heat all the way up,” Brianna replied exasperatedly. “But if Smalls says the Council’s distracted, I say we go for it.” Brianna glanced over to Monét who rolled her eyes, but nodded in agreement. If it meant she could run into West again, she’d go out every night of this mother-fucking week.

“So damn dramatic Monét,” Bob teased with a laugh. “But I’m glad we’re all on the same page. ’Night you two,” she said, retreating into the bathroom and Monét heard the shower turn on. She started to say she was going to head to bed as well, but Brianna caught her with her piercing hazel eyes.

“So, tell me about this West,” Brianna commanded, eyes twinkling.

“ _Well_ ,” Monét began, grin stretching across her face as she sank into the chair next to Brianna. “So like, she comes in all nervous right? And she is in this absolutely _hideous_ pink and blue monstrosity…” Brianna lets out a delighted laugh and Monét laughs too, waiting for her to quiet down to continue her story. “All I can see is the pink, but as she steps into the light I realize she’s _tall_ , like taller than I am, and she had this shoulder-length red hair…”

“Actually red or dyed red?” Bri interrupted. “Because if she’s making the blue-and-pink kind of fashion choices, I’m envisioning that terrible drug store red.”

“No, no, no,” Monét shook her head emphatically. “I don’t know, it looked natural though, and it was _gorgeous_ and then the light hit her eyes and they were this really pretty like light hazel and Cracks that _body_ ,” Monét popped her tongue. “She was _all curves_ honey. Fashion choices aside, I did the cartoon double take when I saw her. And she was _so sweet_ too, like she tossed me across the room by accident and then was worried about me and I could just tell she was so nervous but such a good person,” Monét gushed, heat rising to her cheeks as she recalled the moment she helped West up.

“Ugh and I was so awkward,” Monét groaned putting her head in her hands. “I asked her if it was West like _Kanye West_ and as soon as I said it I just wanted the ground to split open and swallow me up.”

“Aja could probably help you with that,” Brianna said dryly, referencing the villain who could make mini earthquakes. Monét swatted Brianna’s arm playfully. “But seriously, I’m glad she seemed nice,” Brianna continued. “Just, and I hate to have to be the one to say it, remember that she’s on the other team,” Brianna finished gently, putting her hand on Monét’s arm. “They’re different from us, and once she gets more experience under her belt, she’s going to have to try and catch you.” Monét’s mood instantly soured.

“Yeah well, I’m going to bed. I have to be up bright and early for an interview tomorrow.” Monét stalked off to her room, slamming the door behind her. She collapsed on her bed and ran her fingers through her short, blue hair. She _knew_ she wasn’t crazy, that there had been something special between her and West. Monét didn’t know when she was going to see her again, but she was certainly going to be on the lookout for a tall, red-haired, and hazel-eyed woman.


	6. Jan I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here's a super long Jan chapter for you! As the tags say, this will eventually be Jan/Jackie, but we don't meet Jackie this chapter! I've only skimmed this for edits once, so I apologize for any typos/grammar/anything like that! Thank you SO MUCH to everyone that's been so supportive, it's really made writing this so much more fun! Please keep your comments and/or plot predictions coming, I absolutely love reading them!!!
> 
> This chapter's costumes:
> 
> Jan: capes runway (although she's a blonde in this)  
> Widow: entrance look  
> Mayhem: AS5 entrance look  
> Kameron: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/Dragcon2-SAT-57_%2847937191581%29.jpg (minus the head piece)  
> Brooke - Detox look, of course (another look that was a major inspiration for this story!)  
> Valentina - the infamous MaskGate outfit
> 
> I'm thinking about making a tumblr to compile everyone's looks for this story, is that something anyone would be interested in??

Jan bounced her leg impatiently as she checked her watch for the sixth time in ten minutes. She couldn’t help being so excited, ok?! Joining the Council had been her dream since she was literally eight when her dad got her a Peppermint action figure and the first issue of _The Super Council_ comic books. And here she was now at nineteen, about to _finally_ join the Council. Jan had been hero-ing on her own for about eight months when Widow had finally asked her if she wanted to come to the next meeting. Jan hadn’t even let her finish the question before her answer – “ _YES!_ ” – had exploded from her lips. So now Jan sat in her dorm room, watching the time tick by and wondering just _how_ early she could show up to the meeting. Nicky was out, either studying late at the library (classes hadn’t started yet) or partying on a Wednesday night (probably with people she had never met). Either option was equally likely. Or, honestly, both at once. But without Nicky’s rational advice (“Really Jan, just like, chill”), Jan found it too difficult to play it cool. She decided that, since it was her first time, it wouldn’t be wrong to show up twenty minutes early?

Jan’s dorm was downtown in a crowded section of the city so she couldn’t risk leaving right from her window and someone finding out her identity. Instead, she hid a duffle bag with her costume just inside her building, right before the exit onto the roof. Jan would quickly change and take off from the top of the tall building, hoping that if someone ever noticed a Hero landing on the roof of that dorm it would at least be impossible to tell which of the thousand residents was the Supe.

As she took flight toward the midtown church bell tower that was used as the Council’s meeting place, Jan reminisced about the day she had gotten her powers. Jan had gone to Catholic school, and every day from the moment she was given the Peppermint action figure, Jan had prayed to be the one out of roughly 100,000 girls that had a power. Jan knew she was special, but she was dying for some kind of external confirmation of that fact. As the years passed, from twelve which was the earliest recorded power maturation, to fourteen and fifteen when it was most common, Jan hadn’t given up hope. And then, at age sixteen, Jan had been in the auditions for her school’s yearly musical. It was the first year Jan had auditioned for the lead and she started to sing a few lines before her music teacher stopped her, asked her if she could go higher on one note, so Jan restarted and tried to go higher. As she took a deep breath just before the high note, Jan thought she could sense something a bit off. But Jan pushed for the note and instead of singing, a high-pitched shriek emerged from her throat that shattered the stage lights above her head. Jan had jumped out of the way and as realization dawned on her, Jan let out a delighted laugh and clapped her hands. Her music director had been less excited. She told Jan nervously that she would keep Jan’s secret and Jan had nodded, grateful. But Jan had been assigned to stage manager every year after that.

Jan landed in the bell tower of the church at exactly 11:38 pm and sighed. So she had a bit more than twenty minutes to kill. Jan paced nervously and plucked at the silver mesh of her two-piece costume. Two pieces probably wasn’t the most practical was it? Oh god, would the rest of the Council judge her for her impractical costume?! Just as Jan was about to take off back home to quickly throw together another costume, the soft thump of Widow alerted Jan to the fact she wasn’t alone.

“Hi Sport,” Widow said with a big smile, her jet-black body suit making her look like some kind of ninja – but the big black feathers ruined that impression.

“Widow!” Jan exclaimed delightedly. “I’m glad you’re the first one here,” she confessed. “If it was like, Valentina or Hytes I would have been so intimidated.

“So what Sport, you’re not intimidated by me?” Widow teased. Jan blushed and opened her mouth to reply, but Widow continued. “Don’t worry, I get it. Hytes _is_ intimidating until you see her forget a word and Valentina…well,” Widow said rolling her eyes. “I don’t even think she would notice you were here to be honest. She’d probably just pull out a mirror and look at herself.” Jan giggled and Widow started telling her a story about how she had caught Gunn a few nights ago, leaving her tied up in Widow’s webs as a sitting duck for police. As Jan and Widow exchanged stories, the other members of the Council started to trickle in.

Mayhem arrived first, and Jan was barely able to squeak out a ‘hi’. Mayhem, along with Peppermint, was one of two remaining founders of the Council and her interdimensional travel allowed her to jump through portals and end up anywhere else. Next came Kam, the quiet, tattooed Hero in black. Her muscles were sleekly defined and it would have been obvious to anyone, even someone without Jan’s ability to recite facts and stats about all the Council, that Kam’s power was super strength. Jan watched Kam and Mayhem chat out of the corner of her eye, but unsurprisingly, Mayhem was doing most of the talking. Peppermint showed up next and Jan grabbed Widow’s arm in delight, jaw dropped in awe. Widow did her best to contain her laughter, although a chuckle or two still emerged. Jan had told Widow all about the collection of Council action figures she had (Widow included!) and how Peppermint had been her first one. Widow also knew the other reason Jan loved Peppermint so much: Peppermint’s power was not dissimilar to Jan’s own. With just an exhale, Peppermint was able to create a vortex of freezing air. Hytes arrived only a moment later, tall and cutting an impressive figure in her latex look. The blue and yellow outfit was a good visual of Hytes’s power – creating mini lightning bolts that she could use to shock her enemies. Hytes was the leader of the Council for a reason. Only Valentina had yet to appear, but judging from what Widow had said earlier there was no reason to believe that Valentina would be there on time.

The surprise came however, when Velour arrived. Jan knew she had never been involved with the Council before, and she looked to Widow for any insight on what was happening but Widow just shrugged.

“Velour, I’m glad you could make it,” Hytes said in a commanding tone that signaled that the meeting was beginning. Jan checked her watch. Exactly midnight. Velour nodded slowly and stood next to Peppermint, wariness present in her eyes. It was nearly a full moon tonight, and the light from the moon reflected off Velour’s blonde hair giving it an almost white hue. Hytes cleared her throat.

“Well everyone, I think we should begin. We all know if we wait on Valentina to get here we’ll be stuck in this bell tower all night,” Hytes joked and an amused chuckle rippled through the group. “I’d like to take a minute to introduce everyone to Sport,” Hytes said nodding toward Jan who instantly turned bright red at being the center of attention at a Council meeting. “Sport’s been working with Widow for the past couple of months, and I think she’ll be a great addition to the Council. Sport, would you like to say a few words?”

“Hi everyone!” Jan said, just a touch too loudly. Widow winced slightly next to her. “I’m Sport, and I have a voice that can bring down the house!” she said, trying to crack a joke that _did not_ land. Kam cocked her head slightly and coughed, Mayhem looked confused, and Peppermint and Velour just looked amused; Jan caught the latter hiding a smile behind her hand. “Well, it’s more of a sonic scream,” Jan added in a rush. “I think what you all do is so amazing and you help so many people and that’s all I want to do! I’m so excited to be working with y’all, you’re literally my _Heroes_ ,” Jan finished, only catching the pun after the fact and failing to hide the grimace that followed.

“Thanks Sport,” Hytes said, face neutral. “Now, to get down to the serious business, we spoke last time about rumors that Blac and Hamasaki were planning something at Trixie Cosmetics. Kam did some sleuthing and tracked down some henchmen Blac has used in the past. They were able to confirm that not only is that true, but Britney Berry is the ringleader behind this plot.” A murmur echoed around Jan, but she had no idea who any of those people were. Should she ask? Would that make her look dumb? Before she could think about it any further, Hytes continued.

“Mayhem has the files on all three in case anyone needs a refresher,” she said, nodding towards Mayhem who opened a small dark blue and black portal about two feet in diameter. She reached in and pulled out a thick stack of files and started flipping through them.

“Blac and Hamasaki have both worked with Berry separately, but this is the first time the three of them are together,” Hytes continued as Mayhem let out a noise of frustration.

“These are supposed to be alphabetized,” Mayhem cut in, shooting a look over to Hytes. “They’re not. Keep going, it’s going to take me a minute to find them.” Jan thought she could probably help with that. Hytes nodded to Mayhem.

“A quick recap: we’ve caught Blac and Hamasaki multiple times, they always seem to get off with light prison sentences and separately, neither is a big threat and both are small-time villains. Blac is able to create shadows, a favorite trick of hers is to wrap an enemy in a shadow so they can’t see and can’t escape; the only way to get out is to break her concentration. Major weakness is light; shining a direct light on her majorly disorients her. She often likes to break lights for precisely that reason. Hamasaki has two swords that she needs to channel her powers: one hit from either sword and you’re frozen until she’s unconscious or more that about 200 feet away from you. Separate her from the swords, and she’s no threat,” Hytes shrugged.

“By far the most concerning part of this plan is Britney Berry. No alias, that’s her legal name. She has the ability to force the truth when she asks a direct question, so she’s managed to blackmail her way out of many of the repercussions we face for being Supes. No housing discrimination, isn’t on the registry, and hasn’t served any jail time, despite being guilty of numerous crimes. She’s almost certainly in charge of whatever’s going to happen at Trixie Cosmetics…”

“Valentina has arrived,” a voice cut in dramatically, and Jan’s head swerved to see Valentina landing with angelic grace in the middle of the room. Valentina was clad entirely in red, a mask covering the lower half of her face. Valentina was tough, no question; she could create bright, miniature stars that could knock an opponent off their feet. Hytes rolled her eyes.

“Good of you to join us,” she quipped. “I was just filling everyone in on how we now know that Britney Berry is in charge of the Trixie Cosmetics plan. You can check out the files to get caught up on their strengths and weakness.”

“Here,” Mayhem said, having finally fished the appropriate files out of the giant stack and handing them to Valentina and tossing the rest back in the portal. Valentina flipped through them without even the decency to pretend to read them. Kam coughed again.

“I was thinking we need to do a bit more investigating,” Hytes continued as though Valentina hadn’t interrupted. “Kam, Mayhem, I think you two should go interview Trixie tomorrow. She should be fine with it; she was photographed for the _Supe Watch_ with that Zamo character whose only real crime has been to break into dentist’s offices and steal extra teeth. Just make it clear up front that you’re not there about Zamo, you’re there about a threat to her cosmetics.” Kam looked over to Mayhem and they exchanged a nod, Kam covering her mouth for a final cough. Hytes looked up at the rest of the room.

“With whatever information Mayhem and Kam get from Trixie, Valentina, Peppermint, Velour, and I will pair up and search the warehouses. If that’s ok with you Velour,” Hytes said, raising an eyebrow in question. “I wanted you here Velour because with mine and Valentina’s powers, we should be able to neutralize Blac, but Berry and Hamasaki will be more challenging. With your vines, I think you stand a better chance than the rest of us.” Velour seemed to consider for a moment.

“I can help with that,” she said, calmness resonating in her pale blue eyes.

“Good,” Hytes nodded in the affirmative. “Shifting to another matter, Widow, can you show us the thing you found at that department store break in?”

“Sure,” Widow nodded and stood up straighter, effortlessly commanding the attention of the room. “I went to a department store break in last week; I was too late to catch the robbers, but they were probably Supes based on this.” Widow held out a small, copper, mechanical object that looked somewhat like a grenade. Jan instinctively took a step back, even from a distance she could see that there were wires and other small pieces attached to it.

“I have no idea what it does, but while you all are working on the Trixie Cosmetics thing, I have a friend who’s good with anything mechanical. I could take Sport and we could take it to her tomorrow,” Widow finished, looking at Jan who tried not to be dejected that she would just be consulting with someone on what could be just a piece of junk while the rest of the Council stopped an honest-to-goodness bad guy trio.

“Good plan,” Hytes agreed. “One last thing – Valentina, you have to stop taking things when you stop a robbery,” Hytes said exasperatedly. “The Prada boutique where you stopped Aja’s robbery reported only a $1,200 bag missing and Aja was arrested.” Valentina let out a huff.

“I’m sure that since _I_ , yes, _me_ , made sure that Aja didn’t get away with over $10,000 worth of stuff, that they would want me to have it as a reward,” Valentina said, and Jan could hear the winning smile beneath the mask.

“That’s not your call to make Valentina,” Hytes said tiredly. “Just don’t do it again, it’s not just your reputation but the Council’s that’s on the line.” Valentina let out a _hmph_ of disagreement, but said nothing else.

“That’s it for tonight,” Hytes finished. “We’ll regroup next week, or earlier if we have to. Everyone, just keep your comm-links on in case anyone needs backup. Velour, we have one for you so we can coordinate for tomorrow.” Mayhem opened her portal again and pulled out a small ear piece, tossing it to Velour who caught it with an expressionless look on her face.

“Sport, we’re working on getting another one for you. It might take a week or two. Sorry about that,” Hytes apologized.

“It’s no problem,” Jan chirped, trying to hide her disappointment.

“Alright, see you all later,” Hytes nodded, dismissing everyone. Widow turned to Jan.

“Meet me here at eight tomorrow night?” she asked.

“Sure!” Jan nodded and Widow clasped her shoulder before taking off into the moonlit night. Jan bounded over to Mayhem, eager to prove that she could be helpful.

“Hi Mayhem!” she said excitedly, heart starting to race as the seasoned veteran turned around to her.

“Hi Sport,” Mayhem smiled back.

“So I saw that all those files aren’t alphabetized? I could do that for you, classes aren’t starting for another few days anyway!” Jan offered before wincing. “Oh, I probably shouldn’t have told you that I’m a student.” Mayhem laughed.

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll pretend like I never heard. You don’t have to, but it would certainly be a big help if you could!” Jan nodded her head enthusiastically. She could start at the bottom and pay her dues if it meant that the Council would keep her around.

“Yeah, totally! No problem at all!” she said and Mayhem opened her portal again, pulling out the files.

“Thank you so much!” she beamed, handing them over, and Jan was very glad she offered. “See you later Sport!” Mayhem said, waving back to Jan as she kicked off and flew towards the south. Most of the others had already left too, so Jan stood behind the bell and started absently flipping through the top file on “Gunn”.

“Kam, wait!” Suddenly Jan heard Velour calling out, but didn’t think much of it. She couldn’t see either of them from behind the bell, so she just stayed where she was, skimming through Gunn’s powers of laser-sharp accuracy with her slingshot.

“Kam, are you sick? How long has that cough been around?” she heard Velour ask.

“I think it’s just allergies or something,” Kam said in her soft voice. “It’s been around for probably a week or two, but otherwise I feel fine.”

“Are you…are you taking PiSCes?” Velour asked gently.

“No,” Jan heard Kam reply, slightly defensive. “I haven’t been able to find a supplier. And I can’t go on the registry; I’d lose my job. I’ve been trying to limit the nights that I go out…” Jan froze.

“You should get tested,” Velour said earnestly. “It’s probably nothing, like you said just allergies, but it’s better to know.” Jan should not be hearing this conversation, this was so private and she _absolutely should not be hearing this_ , but she was paralyzed, trying not to give away that she was still there. “I know a doctor,” Velour continued. “She can do the test, off the record. She works at the top floor of St. Carson’s, hers is the only office with a balcony. I can tell her you’re coming by tomorrow afternoon…?”

“Sure,” Kam sighed.

“Good,” Velour agreed, and Jan detected a note of relief in her voice. “Bye Kam.” Jan waited until she heard both women take off before letting out the breath she didn’t know she’d been holding.

Jan got back to her dorm just before one and Nicky was sitting up in bed reading a book. Jan collapsed on her bed and squealed.

“So I guess it was everything you hoped for?” Nicky said dryly. Jan shot up.

“Oh my god Nicks, it was just the best!” Jan started to tell her friend everything about the meeting. “…And I’m going on my first mission with Widow tomorrow! You should totally come to the next meeting; you’d be a great addition!” The door to their dorm clicked open and Jan jumped.

“You know how I feel about Hero stuff Jan,” the second Nicky said walking through the door holding two ice cream cones as the Nicky on the bed dissipated.

“Jesus Nicky we’ve talked about this! Give me a little bit of warning next time!” Jan groaned, putting her face in her hands. Nicky had the ability to create a second version of herself, one that had all the knowledge and abilities of the original. Nicky could be in two places at once, carrying on completely separate conversations or doing two very different things without a problem. Well, the only potential problem was making sure that no one was ever able to put together that she could be in two different places at once.

“Sorry,” Nicky shrugged, not looking sorry at all and handing Jan the cake batter cone that she took gratefully. “But anyway, you know I’m never going to be a Hero.”

“But Nicky, you’d be so good at it!” Jan said, falling back into the well-worn argument and taking a bite of her ice cream. “Don’t you want to help people? To save people? To have everyone look up to you?” she asked through a mouthful of ice cream.

“Not really,” Nicky said shaking her head. “Too much trouble. And too dangerous. Why would I help people who treat us all like second-class citizens?”

“Because we’re _special_ Nicky,” Jan implored, although she knew this conversation wasn’t going anywhere.

“I’m not like you Jan,” Nicky replied, stopping to take a lick from her cone. “I haven’t been taking karate lessons since the moment my powers emerged; this isn’t my dream. But you know I support you completely.” Jan sighed, knowing that was true. When she told her parents about her powers, they hadn’t been mad, not that Jan had thought they would. They had been incredibly supportive, enrolling Jan in a support group for Supes where she met Nicky, who had recently moved from Paris. Jan’s parents had always made sure that she and Nicky had PiSCes and given them both a safe space.

“Yeah, well, I need to get to work alphabetizing these files on Villains,” Jan said as she showed Nicky the large stack of files. Nicky laughed out loud.

“So, what, you’re like…the Council’s intern?”

“Shut _up_ ,” Jan laughed, throwing a pillow at Nicky. “I am _not_ their intern.” Nicky smirked.

“Whatever you say Jan.”

“…do you think I should also color coordinate them by danger level?”


	7. Kameron I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is definitely longer between updates than I like for this story, so I'm sorry about that!!! Hope a long Kameron chapter makes up for it! Fun fact: this ship was not originally supposed to be in this story, but I've been watching Vegas Revue and these two just seem so great together?? And I knew from the beginning that Kam would need to get tested and I had already cast Asia as the doctor so this just seemed so serendipitous! And now I'm in love with their part in this story lol. 
> 
> Thanks again for all the feedback!!! I absolutely love it, so please keep it coming! I am working on a tumblr that has all the looks gathered together, so I'll post the url of that with the next update! I think we've met all the major characters that are going to have POV chapters, so let me know what you think of this cast!! The story is not fully set in stone so if there's anyone you want to see, let me know in the comments!

Kameron was supposed to meet Mayhem on the roof of the Trixie Cosmetics building at 3 pm. Kam called into work for a “sick day”, which was technically true since Velour had pressured her into going to the hospital to get tested for SCAD. Kam’s cough hadn’t improved overnight and she would be lying if she said she was unbothered, every cough now taking on a sinister cadence. When her powers first manifested, even a cold made her nervous. After years of worrying at every sneeze, Kam had decided that she wasn’t going to let SCAD stress her out anymore. If she got it, she got it. The barriers to getting PiSCes or getting tested were just too great; even getting tested would result in outing her and getting put on the registry. She would lose her job at RuCo and her lease _definitely_ wouldn’t be renewed. Kam had made the decision to live her life, with whatever time that was, to the fullest. And there was no guarantee that she would even get SCAD anyway.

Still, hearing Velour’s concern brought back some of her old anxieties around the sickness. She decided going to the hospital earlier rather than later was a good idea, so she set off a little after noon, circling St. Carson’s twice before finally finding the only office on the top floor with a balcony. Kam landed and peered inside, only to find it empty. Whatever. They hadn’t set a time, and Kam was patient. Kam pushed herself up onto the rail, wincing as she pushed down with too much force and bended the iron railing. Hopefully this doctor would enjoy their new hand dents? Kam let her mind wander, thinking about the upcoming interview with Trixie Mattel and enjoying the sounds of the city. She had moved from the countryside, not growing up on a farm exactly, but her house had been several acres away from their nearest neighbor and Kam had always felt so alone in the silent night. What felt like maybe half an hour later, Kam startled as she saw the office door open and a woman (a supermodel perhaps? Weird that she was in a white coat and scrubs) walked through and closed it behind her, leaning her head back against the door. Kam then bereted herself, it made much more sense in context that this was the doctor she was supposed to meet and not, in fact, a supermodel. She seemed fairly tall and her straight, dark hair fell down to her shoulders. Her white coat was embroidered with ‘Dr. O’Hara’ and Kam faintly heard her heavy sigh. She was gorgeous, and Kam felt herself smile without quite knowing why. Suddenly, Dr. O’Hara’s eyes opened, visibly jumping when she saw Kam seated on the ledge of her balcony. Kam gave an awkward wave, muscles bypassing her brain completely, and Dr. O’Hara’s face lit up in a luminous smile. The doctor came to the sliding glass door and pushed it open, stepping out of the way for Kam to come in.

“Hi there! You must be the Hero Velour told me would be coming by. You startled me a bit out there,” she laughed as Kam felt the cool blast of the air conditioning. Standing next to her, Kam had to lift her eyes slightly to meet Dr. O’Hara’s deep brown ones. At 5’6” Kam wasn’t necessarily short, so she quite enjoyed the experience.

“Sorry about that,” Kam answered sheepishly. “I should have told Velour a time…”

“Don’t worry about it,” she said, waving off Kam’s concerns with a flick of her wrist. “You know doctors, I probably wouldn’t have been on time anyway. Well, considering I’m me, I definitely wouldn’t have been on time,” she concluded with a sigh. “I’m Dr. O’Hara, but please call me Asia,” she finished with another one of those smiles that seemed to take over her whole face and held out her hand.

“Kam,” Kam answered with a smile of her own, reaching out and felt Asia’s smooth palm against her own calloused one. At the last moment, Kam managed to avoid scrunching her face, embarrassed at the state of her own hand, but Asia held it tightly in her own, letting their hands mold together which dissipated Kam’s embarrassment.

“I know,” Asia replied with a soft chuckle. “I’ve seen your picture in _Supe Watch_.”

“Oh so you’re a fan,” Kam teased softly. “I can sign your boob if you’d like. You’d be surprised how often I get that request.” As soon as the words left her mouth she cringed, biting her lip. This was her _doctor_ ; it was so, so inappropriate to say something like that. Asia would probably tell her to get out and Kam absolutely would not blame her. But the tension left Kam’s shoulders as soon as she heard Asia start to laugh, throwing her head back.

“Well for that you’d have to buy me dinner first,” Asia replied seamlessly with a wink, leaving Kam completely speechless. Was Asia _flirting_ with her? Had Kam flirted with her _first?_ Kam had certainly flirted with plenty of girls before, but none as stunning and as obviously brilliant as Asia. Kam was so far out of her league and she gulped. “Why don’t you take a seat over here?” Asia blessedly continued, gesturing to a chair and allowing Kam to break out of her shell shock. “I need to take your vitals and get some information from you, then I’ll take a blood sample.” Asia turned toward her desk and grabbed a clipboard with papers on it.

“Sure,” Kam croaked out and sat down, tucking her black cape underneath her.

“Let’s start with your temperature,” Asia said, pulling out a thermometer and her expression was all business now. She ghosted the thermometer over Kam’s forehead and Kam looked up at Asia’s face. Asia met Kam’s gaze and smiled softly before the thermometer beeped, snapping Asia’s attention back to it. Kam could definitely get used to seeing Asia smile.

“96.2. Perfectly normal for Supes actively using their powers,” Asia nodded, clearly pleased. She started scribbling something down on the clipboard. “You know y’all tend to run colder than the rest of us.”

“Why is that?” Kam asked, half out of curiosity and half out of wanting to continue hearing Asia’s voice.

“Well, there are a couple of theories, but the most prevalent one is that the energy for your powers has to come from somewhere, and at least some of that energy is drawn from your body in the form of heat. It’s why you probably tend to feel really cold after expending a lot of your powers and also why your temperature goes back up if you don’t use them for a long period of time,” Asia explained, looking up briefly with warm and welcoming eyes. Kam struggled to find something interesting to say, something that wouldn’t make her sound dumb by comparison.

“That makes sense,” Kam said slowly. “I do always feel cold after a fight, but by the time I get home and have a mug of tea I feel a lot better.”

“That sounds really nice,” Asia hummed. “Here, I need to take your blood pressure. Uncross your legs.” Asia wrapped the band around Kam’s arm and Kam felt her fingertips brush against her skin. “What kind of tea?” Asia enquired as she attached the heart rate monitor to Kam’s fingertip and pressed the button to start the machine.

“Anything herbal. It doesn’t have any caffeine and it helps me sleep,” Kam rasped out as the band started to squeeze around her bicep. Kam made a face. “Sorry, I’ve just always hated this part,” Kam admitted. Having her blood pressure taken was always her least favorite part of getting a checkup; she hated to feel the blood pounding through her arm. Asia reached out and squeezed her hand.

“It’ll be over in just a second,” Asia promised and Kam kept the beautiful doctor’s hand in place. She felt her throat dry when Asia made no effort to move it. Suddenly, the machine beeped and Kam felt the band slacken, allowing Kam to breathe a sigh of relief.

“All done!” Asia said cheerfully, removing her hand to record the results. Kam felt herself flood with disappointment. She might have even let the blood pressure machine stay on if it meant she got to keep holding Asia’s hand.

“Blood pressure is good, heart rate is a little quicker than I would expect for someone of your age and in your physical condition,” Asia said with a hint of frown. “It’s something to keep an eye on; do you ever feel overly winded when you’re exercising?” Kam shook her head. She _definitely_ knew why her heart rate was up and was internally battling with herself. Should she flirt back? She should. She was always saying she wanted to try harder to live her life to the fullest and what was fuller than flirting with a hot doctor? What was the worst that could happen?

“Only when I’m around a beautiful woman.” Kam was surprised at how suave she managed to sound, her voice didn’t crack and she didn’t sound anywhere near as nervous as she felt. Her heart pounded as Asia looked up from her clipboard, a cheeky grin on her face and delight dancing in her eyes.

“Well Miss Kam, the magazine certainly did not mention that you have quite a way with women. Are you this shameless with all the girls?” Asia teased. Kam felt every blood cell in her body rush to her face and Asia’s smile only got wider as Kam’s face gave her away. Honesty was the only option at this point.

“I have no idea where this is coming from,” Kam admitted in a rush, letting out an embarrassed laugh. Asia laughed too and reached out to squeeze Kam’s hand and Kam was too overwhelmed to squeeze it back.

“Don’t stop on my account,” Asia replied with a wink. “Now,” she said, switching back into doctor mode. “Let’s go through some of these questions and then I’ll grab a blood sample from you.”

“Sure,” Kam said through a dry mouth.

“Are you on PiSCes?” Asia asked, her eyes on a checklist in front of her.

“No,” Kam shook her head. Asia looked up at her sharply. “I know,” Kam groaned, leaning her head back against the chair. “I don’t know a supplier and I’m positive I would lose my job if they found out I was a Supe.”

“It’s okay,” Asia said softly. Kam looked over at the hard set of her jaw and the anger boiling just behind her eyes. “It’s not your fault. It’s a fucked-up system.”

“It is,” Kam agreed quietly.

“Have you ever taken PiSCes?” Asia continued. Kam shook her head again and she saw Asia check another box. “When did your powers develop?”

“At fifteen,” Kam answered. Asia wrote that down.

“Any symptoms of SCD? Fever? Difficulty breathing? More than three migraines a week? Bleeding more than usual from injuries?”

“Just the cough,” Kam replied quietly. “I get headaches sometimes after I use a lot of my power, but that’s pretty rare.”

“Good,” Asia nodded her head. She met Kam’s eyes again and gave her another soft smile that set Kam back at ease. “Ready for me to take some blood?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Kam sighed, stretching out her left arm. As Asia readied the needle, she gave Kam a questioning look. “I’m not the biggest fan of needles either,” Kam admitted. “Or blood. If I pass out will you take care of me?” Kam tried to joke to hide the anxiety that had started building in her chest. Asia leaned in close to Kam to tourniquet her arm. Her face was inches away from Kam’s and that served as the best possible distraction.

“I will, I promise,” Asia said softly. Her smile filled Kam’s entire vision and Kam smelled the soft scent of vanilla and coffee waft off of her. “If you manage to not pass out, I’ll even give you one of the stickers I save for the girls who come in.”

“How about a date instead?” Kam blurted out. Her breath caught in her throat; Asia’s proximity had entirely overridden her thought process. Asia’s grin somehow grew wider.

“Deal,” Asia answered, holding out her pinky. As Kam wrapped her own pinky around it, concern about the needle floated away entirely.

Kam flew away from the hospital toward Trixie Cosmetics twenty minutes later, completely unable to get Asia out of her mind. She hadn’t passed out and she would get her results back next week, but far more prevalent in her mind was the date she had set with Asia for Friday night. She replayed the moment after Asia had thrust a box of PiSCes in her hand and in no uncertain terms told her that she would be Kam’s new supplier. Kam might have super strength, but she had a feeling she would be no match for Dr. O’Hara. After that watching Kam take the first pill, Asia had relaxed.

_“So on our date should I call you Kam?” Asia teased, casually flipping her hair back over her shoulder._

_“It’s Kameron actually. Kameron Michaels,” Kam had answered without hesitating. Asia had seemed surprised that Kam had divulged her entire secret identity, but Kam had known instantly that she could trust Asia. Asia helped protect and treat Supes._

_“Kameron,” Asia had rolled the name on her tongue and Kam felt a shiver through her spine hearing her full name out of Asia’s mouth. Asia gave Kam another soft smile. “I like it. Kameron.”_

Kam arrived at Trixie Cosmetics to find Mayhem already there.

“Someone looks like they’re in a good mood today,” Mayhem commented with a smirk as Kam landed. Kam rolled her eyes but smiled towards Mayhem. She really enjoyed Mayhem’s company; Kam had joined the Council back when the Council consisted of Mayhem, Peppermint, Ongina, Pandora, and Yara. Pandora had retired several years ago, and Ongina and Yara had gotten SCAD not long after.

“Come on, let’s go down to the lobby.” Mayhem nodded.

“I think we’ll be able to get in; Trixie doesn’t strike me as the type to try and call the police,” Mayhem agreed.

The pair flew down to the front door and just as predicted, after a quick call to Trixie’s office they were able to take the elevator up to the 58th floor. A receptionist steered them towards Trixie’s large, window-lined office. Kam was a bit surprised by the pink walls, pink chairs, and pink desk. Everything in the woman’s office was varying shades pink, including every item of clothing on the woman herself. The blonde had a beehive updo and pink pantsuit, along with a makeup look that Kam would never choose for herself, but she could nonetheless appreciate its artistry.

“If this is about that rotted whore Zamo, I have no idea what she’s up to,” Trixie declared loudly by way of greeting, extending her hand toward Mayhem who shook it.

“This isn’t about Zamo,” Mayhem said quickly. “We’re here because the Council has gotten wind of a plot to possibly meddle with some of your products. What do you know about Britney Berry, Hamasaki, or Blac?” Trixie’s face had gone from worry, to relief, to bewilderment.

“Only what I’ve read in _Supe Watch_ or the _Metropolitan Times_ ,” Trixie answered, clearly puzzled. “I have no idea why they would target me.”

“Have you noticed anything unusual, like attempted break-ins or anything missing?” Mayhem questioned. Trixie shook her head.

“Nothing like that. Or, wait, maybe? A prototype for our new Russian Red lipstick vanished about a month ago, but it was an early version so I didn’t think much of it.”

“What’s going on with that lipstick now?” Kam jumped in to ask, speaking for the first time since they got inside Trixie Cosmetics. Trixie shrugged.

“We’re starting mass production in two days. It’s our biggest order yet, over 50,000 units delivered within the city and about 1 million shipping out nationwide in three weeks.” Kam and Mayhem shared a look. This was suspicious, and they were both on the same wavelength about it. “Should I be concerned?” Trixie pressed, eyebrows (or the place where her eyebrows should be) furrowed. Mayhem looked back to Trixie.

“The Council will check it out just to be safe. Where is the lipstick being made?” Mayhem asked.

“There are two factories over in the warehouse district.”

“Can you get us the addresses?” Kam asked. Trixie nodded, pulling out a pen and pink notepad. Kam and Mayhem exchanged another look. They knew where the rest of the Council would be headed tonight.


	8. Sasha III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO SORRY, it has been so long since the last update but I promise I'm not abandoning this story! I've been super busy with a lot of things cutting into my writing time and haven't felt much inspiration for an action scene until very recently. Please let me know what you think, I think this fight turned out pretty well, but I'm worried it felt rushed. I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments! And any of your thoughts now that we've wrapped up the introductory Trixie Cosmetics story line! I can't promise that we've seen the last of these villains, but this plot at least is over.
> 
> I know this should technically be Sasha III, but I wanted them all to be even and basically the first two Sasha chapters were supposed to go together but I got impatient, so here's the real Sasha II.
> 
> I've already started the next chapter which (spoiler alert) is Jan and I'm super excited to start writing Jackie as well!
> 
> I've made the tumblr for all the looks in this story, and I would love to hear what everyone thinks of those looks as well! I'll probably even start posting teaser excerpts of chapters there before they get posted here, so feel free to reach out to me there as well, it's super-queens.tumblr.com!

Later that evening, Sasha found herself stuck between two bad options. Hytes called her over the comm link once Kam and Mayhem got the addresses of the factories from Trixie and asked if Sasha would rather be paired with Hytes or Valentina for the evening. Sasha wanted to protest that she would work better with Peppermint, but Hytes had explained that based on the villain profile of Blac, someone with the ability to create light should be in either group. Sasha reluctantly agreed with the logic, which is how she found herself flying toward the eastern factory with Hytes.

“So Velour, how long have you been a Hero?” Hytes asked conversationally as they flew side-by-side.

“A few years,” Sasha answered in a clipped tone, certain she knew where this conversation was headed.

“And you’ve worked on your own this whole time?” Hytes continued. “That seems pretty dangerous.” Sasha shrugged.

“Not really. I know the city; I know most of the Villains. Of course, I’ve been in a few rough spots, but nothing that I couldn’t handle,” Sasha answered.

“Except Couleé,” Hytes prompted. Sasha felt herself bristle at the implication.

“That was my first time going against her,” Sasha bit out. “I know her powers now. But even then, sometimes Villains just get the best of us. I would bet your win record isn’t 100% either, is it?” Hytes looked over at her calmly.

“Of course it’s not, but there’s a difference between losing fair and square and losing when you could have done more. Would you have changed your approach to Couleé if you’d known more about her? If you’d known about her powers, would you have waited until she was outside the museum? What if you knew she was working with Oddly?” Sasha whipped her head around and narrowed her eyes at Hytes. “Would you have followed her back and taken on both of them?”

“Couleé is working with Oddly?” Sasha inquired coolly, avoiding answering Hytes’s questions. Hytes nodded in affirmation.

“Peppermint and I caught Sakura the other night, who spilled that Oddly was offering a big reward for whoever brought her the Van Gogh from the museum. We went to go check it out, only to find the police already there and the Van Gogh missing,” Hytes gave Sasha another side glance. “And the Council knew about Couleé from a run-in Valentina had with her about two weeks ago. Couleé was down by the docks near where Oddly is thought to hang out; since Couleé was right by the water Valentina got absolutely thrashed. By the time Mayhem and I got there for back-up, Couleé was gone. All that to say,” Hytes continued and Sasha tried not roll her eyes. Here it comes. “You would be a better Hero on the Council. And the Council would be better for having you there. You’re well-respected in the city, smart, and level-headed. It’s a win-win.”

“I appreciate the invitation Hytes,” Sasha cut in smoothly. “But as I’ve told Peppermint, the Council isn’t for me. I work best alone and, frankly, I disagree with the Council’s existence.”

“The Council has done a lot of good for this city,” Hytes bristled, losing her composure for the first time that evening. “We’ve made the city a safer place to live.”

“Perhaps, but that could be done by Heroes as individuals too,” Sasha pointed out. “Where there’s power, there’s abuse of power. I’ve spent my whole life fighting for Supe equality and that’s never going to happen when people are scared. And frankly, I don’t blame them. There’s a coordinated group of Supes with unimaginable power that answer to no one.”

“Villains are joining forces too,” Hytes replied, her brief outburst of emotion back under control. “We can’t just wait around like sitting ducks.”

“And I don’t think the solution is the Council,” Sasha shrugged. “But I’m not above any other Supe. I can’t dictate how you and the others want to help the city. I think what we’re doing now is good; we know about a Villain that my powers work well to neutralize. But I’m not interested in joining the Council permanently,” Sasha finished firmly. Hytes said nothing, and the pair flew the rest of the way to the factory in silence.

As Hytes and Sasha arrived at the factory, neither noticed anything out of the ordinary.

“Let’s split up and do a quick lap around the building,” Hytes suggested. “See if anything is out of place from the outside. Meet back here in five minutes.” Sasha nodded her agreement and took off, flying low around the factory which was set in a quiet, industrial part of the city that was completely vacant now that all the workers had gone home. Sasha quickly spied a side door, held open by a large cinder block, and she quickly returned to Hytes.

“You saw the open door?” Hytes questioned as Sasha landed. Sasha nodded in affirmation. “I’ll radio Pep and Valentina, let them know that we might have something. Then I’ll go in first. You stay behind me until we get inside, then we can fan out. Make use of your comm link and stay alert.”

“It’s a plan,” Sasha replied and Hytes nodded. She touched her earpiece and quickly relayed what the pair had found to Peppermint and Valentina, telling them to continue their search of the other factory but to be ready in case Sasha and Hytes needed backup. Hytes nodded to Sasha and the pair flew slowly back to the door so they could remain silent, both on high alert and unwilling to give up the element of surprise. Sasha followed Hytes through the open door, Hytes taking extra care not to make any sound with her heels. Sasha held her right hand up, rose petals already halfway manifested should someone appear. Unsurprisingly, the factory was dark and Sasha could only see shadowy outlines. Hytes touched her shoulder briefly and Sasha jumped slightly, looking over to Hytes who pointed to where she was going and motioned for Sasha to move in the opposite direction. Sasha gave one quick nod and proceeded to the right; as her eyes adjusted the shadowy shapes became large conveyer belts in a dark, open room. Sasha wove through, looking for a sign of anything amiss, but found nothing.

“Velour,” Hytes’s sudden, staticky voice whispered in her ear. “I’ve got eyes on Hamasaki and Blac. They’re in the room next to you, pouring something into the large vats of lipstick mixture. Is there another door where you are? Can we ambush them from both sides?” Sasha quickly looked around and squinted, making out a door to her left.

“I think so,” Sasha answered as silently as she could manage. “Do you see a door about twenty feet from the back wall?”

“I do. Hamsaki and Blac are being pretty loud, you shouldn’t have a problem sneaking in. I’ll watch for you; on my signal we’ll confront Hamasaki and Blac. We need to give them an opportunity to turn themselves in. Hytes out,” Hytes hissed quickly and Sasha rolled her eyes. In what world would two Villains turn themselves in the middle of a job? Yet another reason she would never join the Council. Sasha glided over to the door and turned the handle without a sound. She paused briefly as she pushed the door open just a hair, the voices of Blac and Hamasaki coming through. In addition to the individual, unique power Supes had, there were also a few perks that everyone had: flight, slightly elevated senses, superior speed and reflexes, and a general robusticity that made it far more difficult to break Supe bones for example. The elevated hearing came in handy as Sasha started to make out what the pair were saying.

“Why is this lipstick mixture so hot?” Blac whined and Sasha pushed the door open slightly more so she could catch a glimpse of the two Villains standing on a platform next five large vats of red sludge. “I’m sweating and I look so fucking gross when I sweat!” Blac, clad in a black bodysuit, handed Hamasaki a small beaker of clear liquid, Sasha estimated about two cups, and Hamasaki carefully poured it into the vat below. Sasha noticed that Hamasaki’s two swords were placed beside her, not strapped to her body as Sasha might have expected.

“Is most lipstick a liquid?” Hamasaki asked irritably. “No. It’s a solid. So what do you do to keep it from solidifying in the vat? You heat it the fuck up!”

“Just because you got an A in biology doesn’t mean you need to have an attitude,” Blac sneered.

“This is chemistry you _dumb bitch_ ,” Hamasaki sighed exasperatedly. “Just hand me another fucking beaker.” Sasha looked over and caught Hytes’ eye. Hytes gave her a single nod that Sasha returned. Sasha’s jaw clinched and her heart rate started to pick up. It was time to fight. Hytes took a step forward from the shadows, manifesting balls of lightning in her hands. Sasha emerged from her spot as well, lifting her hand and she felt her arm muscles tense as she shot rose petals from her fingertips, effortlessly knocking away the beaker that Hamasaki was about to pour in the vat.

“What the…” Hamasaki’s voice rang out as she looked up and Sasha. “Shit!” she hissed and made a move for her sword. A bolt of lightning flew right past her face and Hamasaki froze, Blac wheeling around to come face to face with Hytes.

“Stop what you’re doing immediately, by order of the Council. You’re trespassing and tampering with private property. Give up now and we will help you negotiate a reduced prison sentence,” Hytes said, her voice strong and echoing around the large factory. Sasha could see why she was the one who led the Council; she was tall and cut an impressive figure in her sleek blue latex. Hytes radiated authority.

“Yeah, no thanks,” Blac said sarcastically and immediately a large, shadow fist emerged behind Hytes and punched her in the side of the face. Hytes staggered and at that moment, both Sasha and Hamasaki lunged into action. Hamasaki leapt for her swords, and Sasha instinctively manifested a large vine to swipe them away, but was only successful in knocking one off the ledge behind Hamasaki; Hamasaki managed to snatch the other one and dive out of the way of Sasha’s vine. Sasha shot rose petals with both hands, creating a deluge of red razors and Hamasaki swung behind the vat, Sasha’s petals clanging uselessly off the side of the vat. Sasha jumped into flight, trying to beat Hamasaki to her second sword. Behind her, Sasha heard the crackle of electricity and hoped Hytes was faring alright. Hamasaki was clearly the craftier of the two so Sasha had her hands full, and Hytes had a distinct advantage over Blac. Sasha whipped up another vine, snatching the second sword but the one attached to Hamasaki’s hand sliced cleanly through it, grabbing the second. Fully armed, Hamasaki kicked into high speed flight, aimed right at Sasha. Sasha fired off more rose petals as she flew to the side. Based off what Hytes said at the Council meeting, Hamasaki was only dangerous close range, and Sasha was at her most effective long range. She had to keep Hamasaki from getting close enough to slash her with her sword.

Hamasaki easily changed direction as Sasha heard another burst of lightning behind her. With Hamasaki charging her full speed, Sasha instinctively manifested a vine from the floor, taking Hamasaki by surprise and yanking her towards the ground. Sasha took the opportunity to fly toward her, hitting her with a hard right hook that propelled Hamasaki with even greater force to the ground. Hamasaki hit the concrete hard and Sasha sent more rose petals toward her, trying to pin her to the ground by her costume. Hamasaki rolled to the right, the petals catching her left shoulder and ripping her costume.

“You bitch!” Hamasaki gasped. “This costume took me weeks to put together!” Sasha didn’t have time to reply as Hamasaki launched herself at Sasha who ducked low to avoid the sword swung right at her head. Sasha threw another punch to Hamasaki’s exposed mid-section and Hamasaki absorbed the punch as she kicked Sasha’s legs out from under her. Sasha let out an ‘ooof’ as her shoulder made hard contact with the floor, knowing instinctively that was going to leave a bruise. Another vine burst from the floor, wrapping its tentacle around Hamasaki just as her sword was about to come down on Sasha and then threw her against the far wall. Sasha had a moment to breathe as she got up from the floor and threw a quick glance behind her to check on Hytes, who was peppering Blac with bright flashes of light. Sasha’s attention returned to Hamasaki as she got up shakily.

“Well, well, well, look at these over-exposed blondes,” a voice cut through the battle, causing Sasha to look up to the platform Hamasaki had been standing on before. “The Council? Taking an interest in this small-town girl?” Britney Berry said, fluttering her eyelashes. “I’m flattered ladies, truly, but I can’t let you get in the way of my plan.” Hytes took the moment of distraction to pin Blac to the wall with electric currents and Berry didn’t even flinch.

“And what would that plan be exactly?” Hytes said, slightly breathlessly with glinting eyes. Sasha couldn’t be more grateful for Hytes at this moment; Berry certainly seemed like a talker and while they were currently outnumbered three to two, Peppermint and Valentina must be on their way by now. Out of the corner of her eye, Sasha saw Hamasaki stand, but made no move to attack, glancing up at Berry. Britney raised one hand in a placating gesture, and Hamasaki stood down.

“Have you ever thought that people just aren’t…honest enough with you? Isn’t it exhausting having to go around and try to tell when people are being fake?” Berry flipped her blonde hair behind her with a smirk. “Hytes, what do you think of Velour?”

“I think she’s stuck up and has a holier-than-thou attitude that she can’t back up with any meaningful change,” Hytes’ voice rasped out and her eyes widened as soon as she realized what she said, looking towards Sasha guiltily. Sasha’s jaw clinched, but she shook her head, assuring Hytes that it was okay even though the words stung.

“Velour, do you think that’s an accurate assessment?” Britney turned toward Sasha, her eyes wide and faux-innocent. As Berry finished speaking, Sasha felt a force deep in her chest putting pressure on her from the inside out and she tried to keep it in but despite her fight she heard her own voice:

“Ever since I was a kid people called me stuck up and said I was unrelatable. Hytes is right, I’ve never done enough, I try but I can’t do anything,” Sasha said in a voice that made her sound like a heavy smoker. Sasha’s hands clinched into a fist and she felt her cheeks burning. Britney nodded, clearly pleased.

“Wouldn’t the world be so much better if we could all just be honest with each other? I was able to extract truth serum from my sweat, and these two have put it in all this lipstick. As soon it gets applied to someone’s lips, they’ll never be able to tell a lie again!” Berry’s voice rose with excitement and her mouth spread into a clearly delighted smile. “So as you can see, I can’t let the Council get in the way of my plans.” Britney started to fly a few feet off the platform and Hamasaki tensed, ready to strike.

“Hytes, what’s your weakness as a Hero?” Berry asked innocently and Sasha could see Hytes fighting as hard as she could not to speak. Sasha threw her hand up, manifesting a vine that wrapped itself around Hytes’s mouth like a gag. Hytes looked at Sasha gratefully and answered, but her response was unintelligible.

“How dare you?!’ Berry roared, eyes narrowing in fury as she turned on Sasha. Sasha quickly wrapped a vine around her own mouth to keep her from spilling anything important as Berry and Hamasaki both jumped at her from two different directions. Sasha managed to avoid Hamasaki’s first strike as Hytes fired a lightning bolt that knocked Hamasaki back on her heels. Sasha felt a punch land on her jaw and she flew backward as Berry charged her again. Sasha managed to duck, landing a kick to Berry’s stomach as Hytes joined the battled against Hamasaki. Berry was _quick_ , far faster than Sasha anticipated and it was all she could do to avoid the flurry of Berry’s blows. Sasha felt herself start to tire as another vine shot from the floor towards Berry, which she deftly avoided as Sasha fired a blast of rose petals, scratching Britney’s chest and arms. A loud grunt came from Sasha’s right and Sasha saw Hytes frozen in place, Hamasaki having evidently managed to land a hit with a sword, and now both Hamasaki and Berry were focused on Sasha. Sasha tensed; she didn’t have much energy left. Both Britney and Hamasaki looked at each other and smirked. Then they both lunged at the same time. Suddenly, a large crash came through the ceiling, causing everyone to look up, startled.

“VALENTINA HAS ARRIVED!” Sasha had never been so grateful to hear Valentina’s voice as she ducked to the side, Valentina’s shiny stars whisking right past her and throwing Hamasaki against the wall, pinned in place. Sasha watched Berry quickly do the mental math and realize that she couldn’t take on all three of them.

“Oooh, guess I did it again,” Britney shrugged and took off, flying at top speed through the opposite wall, as far away from the new arrivals as she could. Sasha immediately sped after her, and the cool summer night chilled her as she got back outside, but Britney was nowhere in sight and Sasha didn’t have the energy to chase her anyway. Peppermint landed beside her.

“Are you alright?” she asked, concern laced in her voice and gesturing towards the vine around her mouth. Sasha’s eyes widened and the vine fell from her lips.

“Yeah fine,” Sasha coughed out. “Just had to make sure we couldn’t answer any of Berry’s questions.” Sasha rolled her sore shoulder to ensure nothing was broken and thought about trying to chase down Berry.

“Let her go,” Peppermint advised, seemingly reading Sasha’s mind. “We’ll get her another day. Right now, we should just make sure the police are able to get Hamasaki and Blac into custody and ensure that the lipstick mixture is destroyed.” Sasha shook her head.

“You guys handle that. I’m going home,” Sasha exhaled with a shiver, completely drained. “I’ll catch up to you later,” she ended as a goodbye to Pep, who gave a hum of understanding. Sasha nodded and took off in the starlit sky, just as ready to get away from the Heroes as the Villains.


	9. Jan II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is also soooo much later than I had hoped, but things have been so busy lately! I've had a project that has taken up a lot of my writing time, but that is coming to an end soon so I'm hoping I'll be able to pick up the pace on updates. This is a Jan chapter that went on longer than I expected, because for some reason when I'm writing Jan she just won't shut up (in the best possible way, naturally)! It seems to fit well with her character and I'm quickly coming to love her chapters more than most. In this chapter we're also seeing the first hints of what I've been calling Arc II in my head, even though we're probably only halfway through Arc I at this point. Any guesses what Arc II might be about??? 
> 
> Thanks to everyone who's commenting and leaving kudos! Y'all are literally the best inspiration and I love, love, love all your comments and feedback; please keep telling me your favorite parts because that is just better than anything!!!! Also would straight up love to hear what you guys think of their costume choices because I just love gushing about the queens so much and I think all their looks are just so gag worthy. I'm so looking forward to the next chapter because it's one that is going to set that stage for a lot of what happens next while having a lot of world building and of course, a little bit of love. Whose chapter do you think is next??

Jan found herself waiting for Widow at 7:55, the slight breeze of the late summer whisking her ponytail around to the right and causing blonde hairs to fly in Jan’s face and up her nose. She exhaled hard and tried to bat them away, only succeeding in loosening them from their clump and flying around even more haphazardly. Jan heaved a sigh and changed direction, allowing the wind to lap against her face, hair now dancing out behind her like a supermodel. It may be 7:55, but Jan had been here for over half an hour already and was just glad it wasn’t winter, otherwise her skin would already be dry as hell. She imagined Velour, Hytes, Valentina, and Peppermint were right in the thick of their bust, kicking and POWing their way through Blac and Hamasaki before a final villain showdown with Britney Berry. But she was here, waiting on Widow, and they were going to deliver a hunk of junk to Widow’s friend. Jan really had the worst luck.

A nearly silent _whoosh_ alerted Jan to Widow’s presence and she turned around with a soft smile for the woman who had quickly become her mentor. Widow had found her about two weeks after Jan had donned her cape and Jan _insisted_ that she didn’t need any help. To make a long story short…she did. Widow had been patient with her (not endlessly so, however), even as Jan dropped subtle hints that she wanted to join the Council (these usually took the form of Jan saying “It’s been my dream to join the Council since I was literally 8.” Or “I can’t wait to be on the Council one day.”). But because of Jan’s gratitude towards Widow, she tried to hide her disappointment at being little more than a glorified messenger. The smirk Widow gave her suggested that she was failing.

“Hi Sport,” Widow smiled. Jan chirped a return greeting. “Don’t worry, we’ll get you out with the rest of the Council soon.”

“It’s fine,” Jan rushed out, trying not to appear ungrateful. “I know it’s not really safe for any of us to go anywhere alone, so I don’t mind being your backup!” Widow chuckled.

“Well, if there’s anywhere that I’d feel safe, it would be going to visit Jackie Cox. But follow me, I’ll tell you about her on the way there.” Widow took off again, hovering just outside the clocktower as Jan kicked off to follow her, never tiring of the badass sound of her cape _whoosh_ ing in the wind behind her. Widow turned uptown, and Jan picked up the speed slightly to catch up to her.

“So, who’s Jackie Cox?” Jan inquired, having to stay fairly close to Widow to make herself heard over the sound of the wind rushing past their ears.

“Jackie’s a friend. I actually heard of her last year; she’s a Supe who’s not in hiding. She chose to go on the registry, although I think it was a little easier for her because her powers are much less scary to those in power concerned with such things,” Widow said rolling her eyes. “Jackie is amazing with machines. She can build absolutely anything, get anything mechanical working, and can tell what anything with wires, gears, or bolts can do with just a touch. When I heard about her, I got in touch as Widow to see if she had any interest in helping the Council out. She was adamant that she would not join, but said she didn’t mind consulting if she could be helpful. So, I think now’s the time to take her up on that offer,” Widow added at the end. Jan listened to all of Widow’s information, but her mind was stuck on one detail.

“Why would she _choose_ to go on the registry?” Jan asked, trying to think of any situation that would make her okay with the government tracking her and facing the prejudice and harassment that any out Supe had to deal with if their status became public. If you were lucky, it was just slurs written on your lawn; for others, it turned physical. Jan remembered her father snatching away a newspaper not long after she got her powers as Jan read in horror about a fourteen-year-old girl who could shoot lasers out of her eyes being kidnapped and blinded by a mob in her small town. Widow shook her head in response to Jan’s question.

“You’ll get your chance to ask in a minute,” Widow replied as she started to descend to the roof of a building that was further uptown than Jan usually travelled, in a neighborhood that many residents of the city often avoided. If Widow said anything else, the sound was drowned out by an ambulance racing one street over. The door to the inside of the building had been propped open (really, if the citizens of this fine city knew that 90% of the way Supes got in and out of buildings was from the roof, rooftop patios would be a thing of the past).

“Stay quiet Sport,” Widow whispered as they started inside the building. “Jackie asked us to make sure none of the other residents knew she was letting other Supes in the building.” Jan nodded, not trusting herself to speak because Jan didn’t quite have the volume control that most other people had. The walls were dingy, an off-beige that couldn’t have even looked attractive when it was first applied and there were dead flies at various points along the edges where the wall met the floor. Jan at least was glad that the staircase that they took into the building proper was well-lit; flickering lights would have made the building too much of a horror movie cliché. Widow led them to a freight elevator and pressed the button for the basement. As the elevator began to move, Jan tapped the fingers of her crossed arms against her elbows to the tune of “Seasons of Love” from RENT and only Widow’s glare as they passed the sixth floor was able to still Jan’s nervous energy. The elevator finally dinged and the door opened to a cool, cinderblock basement.

“Jackie?” Widow called out, tentatively stepping out.

“Over here! Follow the hallway,” a silvery voice echoed off the walls. Widow and Jan followed a hallway lined with storage rooms on one side down to an open door in front of them. Jan was slightly chilly, but that didn’t account for the goosebumps that erupted on her shoulders and down the back of her arms. Jan shivered once as Widow pushed the door open and then Jan realized what her senses had been trying to tell her. Jackie turned around from a large wooden workbench on the back wall, a dark brown bun revealing to a beautiful _goddess_ with sand-tinted skin and amber eyes. Jan swallowed hard and the first thought that popped into her head was ‘I’m going to marry her one day.’ Jan’s eyes widened and she felt her heart start to race as both the gravity and the certainly of what she just thought hit her.

“Hey Jackie,” Widow greeted. “Good to see you, thanks for helping us out.”

“It’s no problem at all,” Jackie smiled softly, the hint of a dimple appearing on her left cheek. Jan’s body relaxed; she felt the tension leave her shoulders and her lungs seemed to expand. Jan felt…calm. Normally when around a beautiful girl, she would hide her nerves in her confident bravado, shamelessly flirting while her heart pounded out of her chest. But the expected nervousness was nowhere to be found. As she pictured Jackie in a white dress, she realized. She and Jackie were going to be together forever; there was nothing to be nervous about. Jan just wanted to listen to Jackie talk about anything and everything; Jan wanted to learn what movies made Jackie cry and what jokes made her laugh. She wanted to drag Jackie to all of her shows and she wanted to find a bouquet of white lilies from Jackie backstage.

“I hope I can be helpful. And you must be…?” Jackie turned to Jan and held out her hand, the sudden force of Jackie’s attention biologically shifting Jan’s cellular make up. Jan reached out and clasped Jackie’s hand, the rust and oil on the other woman’s fingertips leaving streaks on her wrist.

“Jan,” she replied simply, unable to take her eyes off Jackie’s. Which is how she first noticed Jackie’s eyes widen, and only when she heard Widow’s sharp intake of breath did Jan realize her mistake. “Sport I mean! It’s Sport!” Jan rushed out, still not letting go of Jackie’s hand.

“It’s okay…Sport,” Jackie said with a low chuckle. “Jan could be short for anything really. Your secret identity is safe with me,” Jackie finished with a wink that sent fire right through Jan’s stomach, and a grin broke out on Jan’s face. Widow cleared her throat and Jackie took a step back, hand slipping out of Jan’s. Jan thought she caught a hint of a blush on Jackie’s as she returned to business. Jan couldn’t find it in herself to be embarrassed.

“So, Widow, what is it that you want me to examine?” Jackie inquired, looking expectantly at Widow. Widow reached into the pocket of her suit and pulled out the bronze, egg-shaped thing Jan had seen the previous evening. Upon closer inspection, Jan could see small gears and connections of wires with a noticeable seam around the middle. Jackie frowned, reaching her palm out expectantly and Widow dropped it in. Jackie hummed as she rolled it around in her hands. A moment later, Jackie’s amber eyes flashed a brilliant topaz, and Jan instinctively took a step back. Jackie’s eyes cooled and she let out a small huff.

“It’s not dangerous, at least not right now,” Jackie started, tucking a dark curl that had fallen loose behind her ear. “It was meant to hold some sort of gas, but I can’t tell if it’s still in there. It doesn’t want to open for me,” Jackie said, a hint of irritation lacing her voice. “But I also don’t think it can. The spring pin on the inside malfunctioned, which blocked the shell from splitting when it was detonated.”

“Someone tried to set this thing off?” Jan asked, eyes widening. Jackie nodded grimly.

“At least twice. The spring pin is all scraped up. Where did you say you found this?” Jackie asked, turning to Widow.

“At a department store. The alarm was blaring when I got there; I didn’t see anyone around. A bunch of glass cases had been broken and when I went over to check them out, I saw this thing sitting on the floor and could tell that it didn’t belong there,” Widow explained grimly. Jackie’s grip tightened around the device and this time when her eyes burned, it was expected enough that Jan didn’t flinch.

“The detonator range could only have been about a maximum of fifty feet, so someone was definitely still around there,” Jackie said dubiously. “That’s all I can tell you right this second. If you give me some time, I can try to open it up for you.” Widow nodded.

“That would be great. How much time do you need?” Jackie cocked her head sideways, considering the question, and Jan’s eyes traced the graceful curve of her neck.

“A couple of days maybe?” Jackie guessed. “Less time to open it, but I assume you’d like anything I can get on the gas inside as well.”

“I’d owe you one,” Widow said gratefully. Jackie smiled and waved her free hand.

“It’s no problem at all,” Jackie answered. “Want to come back by Monday night?”

“Sure,” Widow answered at the same time Jan said:

“I’ll stay.” Both Widow and Jackie wheeled around to face Jan, who just shrugged as her eyes fluttered back to Jackie’s face.

“We don’t know what kind of gas is in there. If it’s something dangerous, Jackie shouldn’t be here alone,” Jan said, unable to stop the softening of her voice as she looked into Jackie’s eyes. “I can at least stay until she gets it open.”

“It’s up to you Jackie,” Widow gestured towards the smaller woman tiredly. Jackie’s head cocked just slightly to the side as she sized Jan up, eyes giving her a once over. Jan kept her chin up under Jackie’s scrutiny, a contented smile brushing her lips.

“That might be a good idea,” Jackie nodded slowly, gaze coming back up to Jan’s eyes.

“Great, well let’s all meet back here at the same time Monday,” Widow said with a curt nod. She swiveled around and marched out the door, and Jan thought she saw Widow roll her eyes, but she couldn’t be sure with Jackie’s gaze still focused on her.

“Well I…better start trying to open this,” Jackie said as the silence stretched out for a beat between them, turning back to her work station.

“Sounds like it’s going to be a tough egg to crack,” Jan deadpanned and Jackie wheeled back around, a huff of laughter escaping her lips.

“You actually thought that was funny?” Jan asked incredulously. “Everyone always groans when I tell a joke!” At that, Jackie’s light and airy laugh rang through the room.

“Maybe I just have a soft spot for terrible jokes Janice,” Jackie’s voice lilted and a glimmer of mischief danced through her eyes. Jan’s heart swelled, and she became even more convinced that her initial thought was correct.

“Well, I will certainly keep them coming, just for you then,” Jan’s voice quieted as her throat dried up. Jackie smiled and turned back towards her work bench. Jan noted a large generator looking thing sitting on the floor next to Jackie’s bench, so she glided over to it and sat, watching Jackie work. Jackie reached up to the tools hanging above her, long fingers deftly grabbing a small screwdriver in one hand and a pair of safety goggles with the other.

“So Janelle, what’s your power?” Jackie asked casually as her fingers seemed to fly around the small machine, screwdriver twisting and prodding faster than Jan’s eyes could fully comprehend.

“I have a voice that brings down the house,” Jan repeated her joke from the previous evening confidently, hopeful that it would have a warmer reception in present company. She couldn’t have been more pleased when Jackie giggled and flickered her gaze toward Jan.

“And what exactly does that mean Janine?” Jackie smirked. Jan stood up and faced away from Jackie. Jan inhaled slightly before letting out a soft, high pitched shriek that was only a fraction of her full volume. The sound waves were so strong they could be seen in the air, an expanding cone away from Jan’s lips, and the force was enough to shove the pile of spare parts next to Jan into the opposite wall. The shriek died on her lips, and she turned back towards Jackie who had one raised eyebrow.

“That’s pretty impressive,” Jackie remarked. “Remind me never to get into a screaming match with you.” Now it was Jan’s turn to giggle.

“Well, I imagine we’ll fight like all couples, but I doubt it’ll ever come to that.” Jackie’s head tilted sideways once again, a bemused smile quirked on her lips, and Jan loved that she already knew this was Jackie’s tell when she was confused.

“I’m going to marry you one day,” Jan clarified nonchalantly, without a note of hesitation in her voice. Jackie’s eyes widened. Then all of the sudden Jan’s eyes widened, a new possibility occurring to her.

“Unless you’re straight,” she rushed out. “In which case oh my god, I’m so sorry.” Jackie laughed again, a clear crystal sound that caused Jan’s heart rate to slow again.

“You know January, if you weren’t so pretty, that might actually be creepy,” Jackie teased. Jan padded slowly over to Jackie until she was standing right next to her. Mirth reflected back from Jackie’s eyes, and the rosiness of her cheeks told Jan that she didn’t need to worry about Jackie’s sexuality.

“I’m not kidding,” Jan said, her voice uncharacteristically quiet and with a smile that felt like it was going to split her face in two. “I’m going to marry you one day,” Jan finished determinedly, reaching out to tuck the curl that had once again fallen loose back behind Jackie’s ear. Jan felt Jackie relax into her touch, and Jan knew she was exactly where she was supposed to be.

“I think I might just believe you Janet,” Jackie answered, eyes wide with surprise and her voice barely above a whisper. Jan swallowed, and her eyes flickered down to Jackie’s lips.

“Can I kiss you?” she asked the smaller woman, voice becoming husky as her heart rate picked up. Not bothering to answer, Jackie leaned up and immediately captured Jan’s lips with her own, hand reaching to cradle the back of Jan’s head. At the feeling of Jackie’s soft lips against her own, Jan melted into Jackie’s touch. Jan’s arm swept around Jackie’s waist and pulled her closer until their whole bodies were almost touching. Jackie moved against Jan, hand trailing down so her fingers could tangle themselves into Jan’s long, sideswept ponytail. There was nothing tentative in Jackie’s touch as she pulled Jan’s hair just hard enough for Jan to shiver as arousal jolted between her legs. Jan let out a moan into Jackie’s mouth and Jackie took the opportunity to join their tongues, Jan eagerly pressing forward for more. Jan and Jackie moved against one another in their own dance, trading initiations and responses seamlessly, as if they had been doing this for years. What felt like hours later, Jan felt Jackie let out a huff of air. As Jackie pulled back slowly, Jan’s eyes fluttered opened.

“So Janessa, how was your last first kiss?” Jackie rasped out, looking up at Jan from under her eyelashes. A grin erupted across Jan’s face as Jan decided to have a bit of fun with her.

“You don’t know, I could be polyamorous,” Jan pointed out, and Jackie’s smile fell. “I’m not, by the way.” Jan decided to put Jackie out of her misery, but her heart swelled to see that Jackie wanted Jan all to herself, just as Jan wanted Jackie. Jan laughed as Jackie gave her a playful swat on the arm and Jan leaned back in, nose brushing against Jackie’s as she heard the other woman’s breath hitch. “And it’s just Jan. But I think I am ready for my last second kiss.”

Jackie obliged.


	10. Nina II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally feel like I'm back on a good updating schedule! I'm hoping to be able to post every few days, or at the latest, once a week. Here's Nina II and for once I'm actually really happy with it right from the start (usually it takes me about a week after I've written something to be able to like it). 
> 
> Thank you so much (again) to everyone who's supporting this story! You guys are the absolute best and I still totally live for feedback!
> 
> Hope everyone likes this chapter!

Nina stepped out of the cab, grabbing and holding the bottom of her dress up so that it wouldn’t drag on the street. Nina let out a huff of annoyance as the stretchy fabric pulled against her ankles and she worked hard not to trip in her exit from the cab. Nina a had _lovely_ , _very nice_ pantsuit and blouse that she had wanted to wear tonight, but Brooke had vetoed that the moment she pulled it out of the closet. ‘This is a thousand dollar a plate _fundraiser_ ; I won’t have my campaign manager looking like a news anchor,’ Brooke had proclaimed, and she had dragged Nina out shopping for the green gown she now wore, the off the shoulder straps bearing far more of her arms than she’d like and her boobs held up by what felt like two pieces of tape to accommodate the slit that ran from the top of her sternum to the bottom of her ribcage. Nina had protested that it was too much _skin_ and no one would want to see that from the campaign manager, but Brooke had held up one hand to silence her and that had been that.

Nina glanced up at the imposing skyscraper before her, exhaling quietly. She was here early because she was Nina West after all, and someone had to make sure all the details were immaculate. Brooke certainly wouldn’t. The doorman opened the door to the posh hotel and Nina thanked him with a genuine smile that the man returned. Nina made her way over to the counter to get the directions to the ballroom, and as she spoke to man behind the counter, she noticed the new edition of _Supe Watch_ out next to the newspapers and managed to hold in a groan. ‘ _To New Hytes?’_ the title read, a picture of Brooke in the sky looking around frantically. Underneath: ‘ _Council fails to apprehend Berry in Trixie Cosmetics scheme’_. Vanessa Mateo was one of the Council’s staunchest opponents and took every opportunity to highlight the Council’s shortcomings in her own publication, in addition to any other platform she could get. The first time Mateo appeared on the six o’clock news claiming that the Council needed to be disbanded, Brooke sulked in her apartment for three days. When Mateo’s op-ed came out in the _Metropolitan Times_ , Brooke had snapped at a constituent who asked her about it at a town hall. It had taken them three weeks to get her polling numbers back up after that. Nina went to rub her forehead, but stopped just in time as she remembered the amount of makeup caked on her face at the moment. She hoped Brooke hadn’t seen _Supe Watch_ yet; the campaign quite literally could not afford for her to be in a foul mood tonight.

Nina’s mild heels clicked as she ascended the stairs towards the ballroom, walking through the main door to take in the large, vaulted ceilings and the wooden panels lining the walls of the grandiose space. The place had cost the campaign most of their reserve fund, but Nina had to admit that Brooke knew what she was doing by insisting on it. They had sold out of the initial three hundred tickets in a week before adding one hundred more spots that had been snapped up soon after. Nina made herself busy by checking the place cards, making sure that the bartender had everything she needed, and ensuring that each table’s centerpiece had ample copies of the glossy magazine filled with images of Brooke helping at homeless shelters, meeting with the CEOs of alternative energy companies, and, tucked at the end, a photo of her shaking hands with Jackie Cox, the only out Supe in the city. After about an hour and half, when Nina was almost certain that the place was ready, Brooke strode into the ballroom, her floor length silver gown reflecting back the light from the chandelier. Nina heard her approaching and looked up from where she was straightening out the utensils. When Brooke walked in, everyone had to watch her. It was ironic that Nina’s power was magnetism when everyone in a room would be drawn to Brooke like a moth to a flame. It was one of the reasons Nina knew Brooke would be a great mayor.

“It looks amazing in here,” Brooke said admiringly, her neck craned to look around the room and her dangling earrings swinging around with her movement.

“I know, it really does,” Nina said, stopping for a moment to appreciate the glamour of the room. “You were right about this place.”

“Well, I have to be right about something occasionally,” Brooke huffed loudly as her face contorted into a grimace.

“So, you saw the new issue of _Supe Watch_ then?” Nina sighed, putting her hands on her hips.

“What? No,” Brooke’s eyes met Nina’s in a blaze. “What did Mateo say this time?” Nina kicked herself for bringing it up.

“I haven’t read it yet,” Nina said quickly. “Just the headline about the Council losing Berry.” Brooke exhaled viciously and aggressively ran her fingers through her hair. Nina put her hands on the blonde’s shoulders, speaking gently and softly.

“Brooke, you can’t do this right now. Tonight is about the campaign and the greater good. You have to be ready for this speech tonight.” Brooke’s jaw clenched and Nina saw her nose flare once, twice, three times. Brooke shook her head and broke from Nina’s grasp.

“You’re right. You’re right. Tonight is Brooke Lynn, not Hytes,” Brooke acquiesced, a fair amount of tension leaving her shoulders. “I need a drink,” she muttered after a beat and headed straight for the bar to get an early glass of champagne. Nina sighed. Reading Brooke had become something of a specialty of hers, particularly over these last few months, and Brooke did not want to be bothered. Luckily for both of them, the first guests started to trickle in. Nina took one moment to steady herself before plastering on an affable smile.

Nearly two hours later, Nina’s feet ached, a ball of tension had settled itself between her shoulders, and she had a low, constant thrum of a headache vibrating in her head. Nina worried that her smiles were coming off more as grimaces as a revolving door of chair people, CEOs, and old ladies married to rich even older men orbited around her as Nina managed to pull names, titles, and family pets (somehow!) from the recesses of her mind. Nina tried to give each and every one of them a bit of the thrill of the campaign trail as they stopped to give their unsolicited advice about how to run a campaign (‘Sure Mr. Nelson! A zombie 5k run where the zombies are labelled with Rice’s policies does sound like a good idea! I’ll have one of the interns look into it!’). Brooke had always told her she was good at this and that Nina should be running for mayor instead of her, but Nina understood that there were things Brooke had that she would never possess (a supermodel thin waist and an inherent air of authority being chief among them).

“Sorry to interrupt, but I need to steal Nina here for a minute,” a voice smoothly cut in, and Nina turned away from Mrs. Edwards gratefully to see one of the campaign’s interns, Ariel, who was clad in a pastel purple ballgown, reaching out to touch Nina’s arm.

“What’s up?” Nina asked quietly as she and Ariel stepped off to the side. Fear of the worst struck Nina, causing her heart to start racing just as it always did. To be fair, Ariel did have a tendency to bring bad news; she had been the one to tell Nina that Brooke had defended Jeffery on Twitter (she had to – but it didn’t mean it was the right decision), told Nina the news clip where Brooke’s joke fell flat on a nightly talk show had gone viral (which had made her appear entirely unrelatable and the following awkward silence still made Nina wake up in panic sometimes), and had brought Nina the polls where Brooke had dropped 22 points after she said that she disagreed with the registry (which of course Nina agreed with, but damn did Brooke need to work on her timing). So, it wasn’t really Ariel’s fault that Nina had a negative Pavlovian reaction to seeing her, but it also kind of was.

“There’s a reporter here who wants an interview,” Ariel said, gesturing in the general vicinity of the bar, already reaching for the phone Nina knew was hidden in her bra as she clearly thought her job over. Nina tried to follow Ariel’s vague motion and looked over, seeing no one that resembled a journalist. And then her gaze caught on a stunning woman with dark skin and a slinky, golden, cowl-necked dress that dipped down to the top of her stomach. The woman scrolled through her phone as an old man with dark hair and visible gray roots came up to her, holding two glasses of champagne, and clearly tried to strike up a conversation. The woman looked up with annoyance painted on her face, yet not a harsh line could be found on her smooth skin as she said something that caused the man to frown and turn away. All of the sudden, Nina’s brain screamed for oxygen and Nina realized that it had been some time since she had either taken a breath or looked away from the hypnotizing woman.

“I, uhhh, I don’t see a journalist,” Nina scrambled for her words as she turned back to Ariel, the younger girl looking at her curiously.

“That’s her tho, in the gold dress,” Ariel said. As if on cue, the woman looked up from across the room and caught Nina’s gaze, all dancing eyes and the dawning of a mischievous grin. Something about her seemed so familiar and Nina’s breath hitched; she hoped her face didn’t give away her…fear? Heart racing, fight or flight instinct kicking in, adrenaline numbing the pain in her ankles? Yes, this was definitely some variety of fear.

“And you sure she’s not looking for Brooke?” Nina said, voice scratchy.

“Yep,” Ariel answered with a roll of her eyes. “She asked for you specifically.”

“Thanks Ariel, that’s all I need for now,” Nina said weakly.

“Nyaaaasssss,” Ariel replied in her unique version of ‘okay’ (or ‘I hate you’, Nina was never quite sure), pulling out her phone and gluing her attention to it as she walked away. Nina gulped and started weaving her way across the room. The woman’s phone had vanished and her gaze traced the path Nina walked. Nina had to duck away from several people trying to pull her into conversation with only a quick apology. Nina finally emerged from the pit of bodies networking, bragging, and posturing to an empty clearing where the woman in gold leaned back against wall, waiting for Nina to come to her. Her gaze was an odd mixture of humorous and predatory; Nina felt unsteady, as a mouse scampering around a trap might. As Nina’s long stride took her close to the woman, she saw the other’s eyes scan her from top to bottom, wicked grin spreading even wider.

“Hello, I’m Nina,” Nina said as she stuck out her hand and tried to keep her voice from shaking. “An intern said you wanted an interview with me. What’s your name?”

“Monét,” the woman answered. Her voice caressed the word and Nina was overwhelmed with a sense of familiarity that she couldn’t place. Monét’s lithe fingers reached out and grasped Nina’s own, her hand silky and hydrated (hydrated Nina? Really?). “Your intern told you correctly,” the woman’s voice lilted upward in amusement.

“And, sorry, what outlet are you with?” Nina questioned, voice fluttering while simultaneously hoping this was a legitimate publication instead of some crazy, conspiracy theorist website.

“I’m with the _Times_ ,” Monét replied as Nina’s fingers slipped out of Monét’s.

“Oh, but you’re not Laila?” Nina interrupted, puzzled. Her voice rose an octave making the statement a question, a tactic she had learned on the campaign trail to sound less harsh.

“Astute observation. You could take my job,” Monét said with a deep laugh and Nina flushed. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to make you feel bad,” Monét answered as she noticed Nina’s blush, sounding contrite while still retaining the twinkle in her eye. “I am not, in fact, Laila. With the election only six months away, our boss thought it would be wise for two people to cover it. And here I am, drawing the short straw for dressing up, flagging down waiters with cute lil’ appetizers, and eating a free, fancy meal,” Monét smiled.

“Well, hopefully I can make your time here a bit more bearable,” Nina replied after a beat, racing to keep up with Monét’s obvious wit.

“Don’t worry, you already have girl,” Monét smirked, and Nina was struck with another flashing sense of recognition, but all the faces and names and voices from this evening must have been clogging up her brain because she just couldn’t place it. “Can I buy you a drink?”

“It’s an open bar that the campaign is paying for,” Nina said dryly, unable to keep the smile off her own face. Monét’s grin reached a canyon in width.

“Even better.”

Nina had to admit, she had never enjoyed an interview as much as she relished the one with Monét. Monét’s presence set her at ease in a way that would have confused her, had Monét given her time to stew over it. But instead, Monét continued to make her laugh over their third glass of champagne as Monét cheekily asked Nina if she could quote her that Brooke’s opponent, Santino Rice, was a ‘disgusting, misogynistic, Supe-hating, licorice-flavored jelly bean’. Nina barely even had time to over-analyze how gorgeous Monét was after the first few minutes, until Monét’s hand brushed Nina’s arm and then all Nina could see was the way the gold dress hugged Monét’s hips and dipped so tantalizingly low down her chest. When Nina’s attention finally turned to the _reason_ Monét got her attention, she saw an old man asleep at a table, snores growing louder with each inhale until he woke himself up with a startle. Nina and Monét giggled together like teenagers at a sleepover. After that, the interview was totally derailed as Nina would point out some pompous guest and Monét invented mini raps that left Nina in tears.

In what felt like seconds, Brooke took to the podium for her keynote speech of the evening and Nina had to reluctantly leave Monét’s side. Monét protested that they hadn’t finished the interview, and Nina’s pulse jumped as they made plans to continue their interview at the park in a few days’ time. Monét squeezed Nina’s arm in parting while Nina’s stomach churned as she was struck with an eerie sense of déjà vu. She reached out and clasped Monét’s hand as she whispered goodbye, having to turn on her heels and race back to ensure everything was going smoothly for Brooke.

Nina shouldn’t have worried; Brooke nailed her speech and received a standing ovation. Nina was quite proud of her, but her mind kept returning to the question of where she had met Monét before.

Early the next morning, when the clock read 2:28 am, Nina jolted upright as she awoke from a dream about the jewelry story robbery. She had been back in the building, but she and X-Change had fought much harder than they had that night and Nina had ended up flat on her back, exhausted, as X-Change straddled her with an emerald necklace wrapped around her neck, cutting off her air supply. ‘Astute observation Miss West,’ X-Change had purred before the necklace tightened, and then suddenly, everything went black and Nina was thrust aggressive back into reality. Nina’s heart pounded as she sat up in bed and gasped for air.

She knew why Monét seemed so familiar.


	11. Shea II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is a short little Shea II! I promise Shea chapters will not always be such downers lol. BUT we do finally figure out what Oddly has asked Shea to do! There are still a few more chapters to go before we get to the actual task though.
> 
> I've done some more planning for this story over the last few days, and we've hit the point where it requires a spreadsheet y'all. It's ambitious (read: terrifying), but I'm excited to bring it to you!
> 
> Kam is up next, and the rating will certainly go up - so there's that to look forward to I guess?
> 
> Also, thanks again to everyone who is being so supportive!! Every little bit makes this whole process worth it, and a HUGE thank you to the people that are commenting! I love hearing your thoughts and there is truly no better motivation. I hope you all love this chapter!!

It was overcast, and nothing seemed more appropriate. An unseasonably chill wind rustled the grass beneath Shea’s feet as she shivered in her black dress. She was standing alone, and the grey of the exposed soil matched the grey of Bambi’s coffin. There had been no official service – no one to come other than Shea and the twins who couldn’t leave the hospital. The funeral was already later than normal; Shea had spent days fighting the hospital to release Bambi’s body to her even though she wasn’t a relative. Her success was due entirely to Dr. O’Hara taking over and calling in a few favors. And so now, Shea was alone in this cemetery with its gentle rolling hills as Dr. O’Hara had to work a twelve-hour shift.

Shea could see the grave digger standing a respectful distance away, but still checking his watch impatiently every few minutes waiting for Shea to leave. Shea did her best to ignore him as thoughts of Bambi’s short life and painful death swirled through her mind.

“I’m sorry,” she said aloud, voice breaking slightly at the end of the word. “I’m sorry your life had to be this way, and I’m sorry I couldn’t do more to save you. But I will do everything in my power to save Kenzie and Khloe little deer, I promise you that,” Shea ended vehemently. Shea’s mind drifted to the task Oddly asked her to complete. It certainly wasn’t going to be easy, and although Shea had thrown herself wholeheartedly into preparing, it was still going to take more time. The kidnapping of Santino Rice was not going to be easy to pull off.

Behind her, Shea heard the squelch of heels in wet ground and turned around.

“What are you doing here? How did you find us?” Shea’s jaw clinched and her eyes narrowed. How _dare_ Sasha show up here after being the reason Bambi was dead?

“I called Dr. O’Hara and she told me what time to be here,” Sasha replied evenly, the wind picking up the hem of her black peacoat. Sasha stood about five feet away, uncertainty flickering in her gaze. Sasha’s blonde hair fell in the mild waves Shea had come to expect and her lips were an uncharacteristic cherry red, matching the roses she held in her white-knuckled grip. “I came to pay my respects,” Sasha added a beat later, quietly, after she gave Shea the same once over that she had given Sasha. She seemed so comfortable in their silence while Shea only felt increasingly irritated.

“You didn’t have to come,” Shea muttered, crossing her arms.

“Yes I did,” Sasha answered a few seconds later in that unflappable tone that always drove Shea to the point of insanity.

“Not good enough,” Shea half snarled, wheeling to face Sasha with blazing eyes. Sasha had disturbed her peace, Sasha had taken this too from Shea, and now Sasha was here to witness all of Shea’s pain. She _must_ have some ulterior motive. Stone-cold Sasha wouldn’t show up otherwise. “ _Why are you here?_ ” Sasha swallowed, and Shea noticed her clench her fists even tighter before meeting Shea’s gaze with a resolve just as intense.

“I’m here,” Sasha began coolly. “Because despite what you believe, I am not a heartless statue. I know you blame me for her death and if I was in your shoes, I probably would too. But despite your opinion on the matter, I did the _right thing._ And doing the right thing is not always easy, but I’m not so detached as to ignore the consequences. I refuse to stay locked away in my lab playing god while people suffer.”

Shea blinked in surprise, shifting her weight back on her heels. This was the most she had ever heard Sasha say at once since…well, ever. Shea was too shocked to formulate a response. Sasha pushed past her, leaning down to toss a bundle of four vivid, red roses on top of the coffin. Goddamn roses. Shea huffed out half a laugh. Sasha looked up at her, one eyebrow raised.

“I just…I hate roses,” Shea said, a biting amusement lacing her voice. Sasha chuckled, a low and deep sound that echoed in the space between them, wrapping itself around the palpable tension and shattering it in two.

“I love roses,” Sasha admitted. Shea snorted and rolled her eyes. Of-fucking-course Sasha loved roses, as if they weren’t opposites in everything else too. The wind whipped against Shea’s face as she held Sasha’s gaze for one second, then three, then five. A ghost of a smile graced Sasha’s face and the earnestness in her visage caused the fight to drain from Shea’s body.

“Truce?” the smaller woman finally asked, after she had stared into the pit of Shea’s soul. Shea’s stomach lurched; despite Bambi refusing the cure herself, Shea hadn’t even come close to forgiving Sasha for refusing to help her. But behind Sasha’s steely gaze, Shea saw a glimpse of…pain. For Bambi, Shea thought. Shea wasn’t going to disrespect Bambi by losing her temper at Bambi’s funeral.

“Truce,” Shea agreed grudgingly. The pair stood shoulder to shoulder, looking down at the stone colored casket. The silence between them was no longer uncomfortable and with her heightened senses Shea could hear the slow and steady thrum of Sasha’s heart and she allowed the rhythm of it to settle her slightly. Images swirled through Shea’s mind just as her dark hair kept getting blown across her eyes. There were graduations, weddings, and parties that would now never happen, that Shea wouldn’t be present for. When Kenzie and Khloe were finally healthy enough to leave the hospital, there would still be an empty place at the table. There was a joy that Shea hoped to find again through them, but now there was just darkness.

“What was she like?” Sasha asked softly, the sound of her voice breaking through Shea’s dark thoughts. Shea looked over at the shorter woman whose icy focus was unwavering from the pit in front of her.

“She was…” Shea struggled to sum up the vibrant _child, really_ that had rescued Shea from her aimless drifting. “Colorful,” Shea finally choked out and out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Sasha’s gaze flash to her in confusion. “And loud. She was so _bright_ and she loved animals, cats most of all. In a perfect world, she said she wanted to be a vet, and she would have been a good one. And she was _tough_ Sasha. She kept herself and the twins alive on the streets for _years._ She deserved better than this,” Shea finished bitterly, a few tears escaping and trailing down her cheeks.

Sasha stayed silent and continued to stare at the coffin, but Shea felt the coolness of her hand enclose Shea’s own. Shea jumped slightly at the abrupt sensation, but only momentarily relaxed into Sasha’s grip. Shea took a steadying breath and the wind swirled the scent of dewy leaves around them. With her free hand, Shea wiped the tears away with her palm.

“What about you? Is this your first SCAD funeral?” Shea asked with a quiet hiccup.

“My second,” Sasha exhaled a beat later. Shea looked over at her quizzically.

“Who was the first?” she voiced hesitantly. For a moment, Shea didn’t think Sasha was going to answer. Shea saw a glimmer of tears gathering in Sasha’s eye and just as she opened her mouth to tell Sasha she didn’t need to say, Sasha answered the question.

“My mother,” Sasha said simply, working hard to keep her voice from breaking.

“Oh,” Shea breathed, and she squeezed Sasha’s hand.

They stood there alone, together, until the rain started again.


	12. Kameron II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY SHIT YOU GUYS ARE SO AMAZING!!!! Seriously, the outpouring of feedback and support on the last chapter has completely blown my mind and I'm still totally in shock. THANK YOU, and I'm so glad to be working on something that so many people are enjoying!!! Like really, you guys are the best and I just don't have the words right now to express how phenomenal it was to get so many nice message. Like, it was so great and every message filled me with so much joy, but I especially love hearing your favorite parts of each chapter.
> 
> And this is definitely later than I wanted! But this chapter completely spiraled out of control and clocks in at almost 7,000 words, which is by far the longest chapter I've ever written. I totally wanted to cut it in half, but there's a lot that needed to happen in Kam and Asia's relationship before the end of this chapter, so this is like 7,000 words of relationship development and like none of moving the plot along. (Also, this was my first time ever writing in the E rating range, so if it's terrible I'm so so so sorry!!!)
> 
> I've been super exhausted the last few days and haven't had much time to write, so I've been squeezing this in a little at the time and the last probably third has barely been proof read, so if you guys see anything on that front, again I'm so sorry and please let me know!
> 
> And the last funny thing to share, sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and have an idea for this story so I take super detailed notes down on my phone so that I'll remember it in the morning. Well, after that system working for awhile, apparently I got lazy and took down notes in just a few words this week. One of the notes I absolutely remember what it means and I'm super excited for that in the story, but if anyone has any ideas or guesses what "lady and the tramp" means - no context, just "lady and the tramp" - please let me know because I'm at a total loss!!!!

Kam had a date with Asia, and it really wasn’t that big of a deal. Or so she tried to tell herself as she yanked her leather jacket off her shoulders and threw it on her bed, scrapping her fifth outfit of the evening. The leather jacket had been too butch, the red dress too feminine, the tank and leggings too casual, the sweater too warm, and in her push up bra the Ramones tee hit a weird place on her chest. Kam sighed and flopped back on her bed and coughed. It shouldn’t be this hard and she shouldn’t be this stressed out. Somehow though, it was. Kam had never had a problem matching with girls on apps or picking one up at a bar. But afterward, when it came to actually getting a date – a _real_ date where they could talk and laugh and find something fun to do – they always blew her off. Maybe it was ‘I’m just not looking for something serious right now’ or ‘I don’t really see that type of relationship for us’, but there was always some kind of line that left Kam having to pretend that she wasn’t that serious about it anyway. The repeated rejection recently had Kam only pursuing hook ups and casual flings, saving herself the trouble of hoping for more when she knew that would never happen. But Asia was already different, and it wasn’t just that they would be getting to know one another before any sex happened. Asia was so far out of her league, Kam mused. Kam knew she was pretty, but she was just quiet and subdued and it took her awhile to feel comfortable enough to really come out of her shell, and most women didn’t have that kind of patience.

Kam sighed and pushed herself off her bed and peered back into her closet. There weren’t a ton of options left, as most of her clothes were work clothes that weren’t suitable for a date. She finally reached for her favorite shirt, a soft, checkered, red and black flannel. She thumbed it on over a white tank top and the black jeans she already had on before examining herself in the mirror, relatively pleased with the outcome. She felt like herself, and hoped that Asia would like it. Kam checked her watch and cursed when she saw how late it was. The subway was known to run late this time of evening and Kam had to get uptown. 

Asia was a goddess in green. Kam couldn’t notice anything else as she approached the corner where Asia scrolled through her phone, waiting on Kam to arrive. Her dark hair fell down across her bare shoulders where a halter dress clung tight to her chest and waist before billowing out to the tops of her knees. Kam gulped. She couldn’t believe this woman was waiting on _her._

“I’m sorry I’m a few minutes late,” Kam said as she approached, startling Asia who looked up from her phone before relaxing into a brilliant smile. “You know the subway – every stop ran behind,” Kam apologized. Asia didn’t need to know that the real reason she was late was the fact that her bed was covered in failed outfit choices.

“There’s nothing to apologize for,” Asia said smoothly. “It’s a beautiful evening.” She took two steps toward Kam, meeting her halfway across the remaining distance, and instantly wrapped her arms around Kam’s shoulders, pulling her close. Kam instinctively reached up to return the embrace with her hands brushing the exposed skin of Asia’s back. Asia smelled like cherry blossoms and goosebumps sprang up under Kam’s fingertips despite how warm it was that evening. Kam was intoxicated.

“It’s good to see you Kameron,” Asia murmured as she released Kam, taking only half a step back so she spoke into the intimate space between them. Asia’s fingers grazed Kam’s arms and rested at her elbows, and the contact made Kam just a little bit dizzy.

“It’s really good to see you too,” Kam croaked out. All she wanted was to rest her hands on the dip of Asia’s waist but fear stopped her. Asia flashed Kam one of those brilliant smiles that Kam had fallen for at the hospital.

“So where are we going?” Asia prompted. “I’ve had to wait all week to find out!” Kam laughed at Asia’s clear impatience.

“You’ll see,” Kam teased. “But it’s this way,” she indicated the opposite direction that she had come from.

“Well, let’s go!” Asia smiled and she bounded two or three steps that way before looking back at Kam expectantly for her to catch up. Kam had to fight to not throw her head back and laugh at the endearing excitement, but she couldn’t control the smile that spread across her face as she moved next to the other woman. Without hesitating, Asia’ slipped her hand in Kam’s and squeezed it before leading her away. Kam’s breath caught in her throat as she felt the gentle tug of Asia’s hand wrapped around her, bold and unconcerned. Before Kam could even think of holding a date’s hand, she would analyze the idea, wonder if she was too clingy, or if the other woman even wanted to touch her, which often resulted in Kam never even touching her date and waving a quick goodbye at the end, but Asia…Asia just took her hand as though it were no big deal, as though she was just touching Kam because she wanted to. Asia seemed to have just noticed that Kam had stopped in her tracks and that she was pulling on dead weight, because she looked back at Kam in concern and started to pull her hand away. Kam panicked and clamped down on Asia’s hand refusing to let go, eyes widening. The concern vanished from Asia’s gaze and her expression softened.

“Coming Kameron?” she asked gently, but not without a teasing undertone.

“Yes,” Kam breathed as she laced Asia’s fingers between her own, brain finally reconnecting to her feet as she trotted to catch up to Asia. The pair started down the street as Kam’s mind raced a mile a minute, trying to come up with something interesting to say.

“Well, let’s get business out of the way, shall we?” Asia lilted, gazing down at Kam with a smirk. “How are you feeling? How’s the cough? Are you running a fever?” Asia fired off questions one after the other without giving Kam a chance to respond as she let go of Kam’s hand briefly to rest her knuckles against Kam’s forehead and cheek.

“Uhhh, I feel fine,” Kam started, focusing only on catching Asia’s hand back in her own, completely unwilling to let it go now that she had felt the soft warmth of Asia’s skin against hers. She snatched it out of the air and interlocked their fingers again and she looked over at Asia whose eyes fluttered downward to hide a soft smile. Kam wished she could tilt Asia’s head back up because missing a single one of those smiles seemed like a crime. After a moment, Asia looked back at Kam expectantly.

“And the cough?” she prompted. Kam pondered for a second.

“I think it’s gotten better?” Kam said. “At least, I haven’t noticed it as much,” she admitted.

“And you haven’t noticed any other symptoms?” Asia prodded. “No headaches or bleeding?” Kam shook her head.

“Nothing like that.” Asia sighed with relief.

“Good,” she said, lines of concern dissolving on her face. “That’s a really good sign. But still, you shouldn’t use your powers again until _after_ the test results come back tomorrow,” Asia held up one finger and her gaze dared Kam to challenge her.

“No powers until after the test results get back,” Kam promised, hoping Asia couldn’t tell that Kam might be just a little bit afraid of her. The sun had just dipped behind the buildings and Kam steered Asia to a left turn.

“Good,” Asia repeated. “So now that we’ve got that out of the way, you can finally tell me where we’re going,” Asia grinned excitedly as she leaned closer to Kam, pressing herself against Kam’s side and resting her free hand against Kam’s bicep. Kam instinctively moved closer to Asia as well, Asia’s proximity a narcotic.

“I _suppose_ I can tell you now,” Kam made a show of dramatically rolling her eyes and Asia punched her in the arm that sent a sting vibrating all the way to her shoulder. “Ow!” Kam protested, mouth eyes widening in surprise but a grin also stretching across her face. “Where did you learn to punch like that?!”

“Miss Kameron, you are a _Supe_ ,” Asia’s voice lowered to mocking hiss. “There’s no way you can’t take a punch!”

“Yeah, a _normal_ punch,” Kam retorted good naturedly. “Which one of us has super strength again?” Asia’s head leaned back as she laughed out loud, and Kam squeezed her hand. The Villains really were lucky that Asia wasn’t a Supe; crime would be eradicated in a day if Asia ever donned the cape.

“So where _are_ we headed?” Asia prodded again.

“We’re going…to the arcade,” Kam said conspiratorially. Asia’s jaw dropped.

  
  
“I’ve never played a video game before! Kameron, I’m going to be terrible at this,” Asia said, a smile returning to her face as she brushed her hand against Kam’s bicep. Kam laughed, loud enough that the old couple they passed on the street gave them a strange look.

“Don’t worry, it’s not hard. I’ve played video games like one time. It’s old stuff like Pac Hero and Donkey Supe. And they serve beer!” Kam reassured her. “I went here with my colleagues not too long ago and we had a blast.”

“Oh?” Asia perked back up. “Where do you work? When you’re not…otherwise occupied?”

“RuCo,” Kam said simply, turning to meet Asia’s bright brown eyes. “I work in their Supe merchandising division, I basically work writing and drawing for _The Super Council_ comic book, although sometimes I work on molding the action figures too,” Kam added. Asia’s eyes sparkled as she took in Kam with, what Kam was beginning to believe, might be admiration.

“That is so cool,” Asia said shaking her head. “I’m so impressed.” Kam blushed and looked down for a second as Asia continued. “My brother always used to read _The Supe Council_ while we were kids; my dad always had to go down to the store the first Friday of every month to get the new issue.”

“Sounds like a cool dad,” Kam remarked, bumping into Asia’s shoulder. Asia let out an awkward half laugh and looked away from Kam.

“Sometimes, I guess. My family…we don’t really talk that much anymore,” Asia said quietly.

“Oh,” Kam whispered. Her heart pounded. God, why did she always have to make things awkward? “Well, I didn’t take the job because I love comics or anything,” Kam babbled, searching for something to take Asia’s mind off the hard silence. “I just saw RuCo making so much money off Supes, from writing comics about the Council, to plastering Del Rio’s face all over t-shirts, they even opened a kid’s playhouse based around Jinkx and Dela!” Kam shook her head. “And since Supes have to be in hiding, none of them ever get anything out of all of this. So, I thought if I was going to star in a comic book without anyone ever asking my permission, I may as well get paid to draw it,” Kam shrugged, bringing her voice down so no one passing by could overhear what she was saying.

“That makes a lot of sense,” Asia said softly. “I can’t believe RuCo is _allowed_ to just profit off of y’all like that,” Asia huffed. Kam shrugged again.

“Well, the only upside is that I think it makes things just a tiny bit easier, for Heroes at least. Public perception goes up just a little bit I guess when you can buy a Kam action figure,” Kam tried to end it a little more lighthearted than she had started.

“Oh well now that I know, I will absolutely be going out and getting a Kam action figure tomorrow,” Asia leaned in and whispered into Kam’s ear and Kam could feel her rustling against Kam’s blonde hair. Kam’s throat dried again and this woman was going to be the death of her, clearly. Before Kam’s brain returned to working order, Asia pulled away.

“Look, we’re here!” Asia said excitedly, pulling the door open on the old brick building and tugging Kam inside.

Asia and Kam managed to get both tokens and beer before deciding to start with a two-player game of Pac-Hero. As the game clicked to life, Asia’s emphatic and stressed commentary as she tried to figure out the “rocket science level” controls (the single joystick and one button) caused Kam to dissolve into laughter and when Asia’s character was eaten only a minute into the game, her petulant insistence that the game must be broken distracted Kam to the point that she too was eaten only a few seconds later.

They managed to work their way through most of the games in the arcade, and Kam learned that Asia _did not_ like to lose. So if Kam threw the occasional game just to see Asia beam in delight, no one ever needed to know about it (and if Kam also had a single-minded determination to win on occasion just to delight in seeing Asia huff and insist that Kam must have cheated, no one needed to know about that either). As the pair finished their second round, Asia dragged Kam over to the Fighting Melee, a one player option that they hadn’t tried yet. Kam acquiesced, something she imagined she would be doing quite regularly around Asia. Kam tried the game first so that Asia could watch how it was done, and then Asia gave it a try, failing miserably in the first two minutes. Asia begged Kam to show her again, and Kam tried, but Asia’s next attempt was just as unsuccessful.

“ _What_ am I supposed to do to activate the double kick?” Asia asked, eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

“Oh, you have to press the green button while pushing the joystick down,” Kam remarked, pointing to the green button.

“I can’t get the timing right,” Asia whined endearingly as she lost another life. “Kameron, please come show me,” she said as she nudged Kam with her shoulder, eyes wide and soft. Kam melted, and she was quite sure that she was quickly becoming unable to deny Asia anything. Kam slipped behind her and covered Asia’s hands with her own. The cherry blossom scent that clung to the back of Asia’s neck wafted up and around Kam, making it quite difficult to focus, especially with Asia’s back pressed against her chest and her hair tickling Kam’s cheek.

“Here, you have to do it just like…this,” Kam managed to get out as she guided Asia’s fingers into pulling off an effective double kick, Asia’s adversary collapsing to the ground. Asia sighed and pressed back against Kam so that their bodies were entirely flush, wiggling her ass nearly imperceptibly. Kam felt her heart rate pick up exponentially and it was only then that she noticed the delighted smirk on Asia’s face. Suddenly, it all clicked together.

“You clever bitch,” Kam said, half in awe. “You planned this, didn’t you?” Asia’s smirk grew.

“Maybe I did,” Asia retorted. “But can you blame me when you’re all up here looking like…that?” Kam’s face lit aflame and she hid her pleasure by pressing a kiss to the exposed skin of Asia’s shoulder just in front of her and slipped an arm around Asia, keeping her close. Asia shifted in Kam’s embrace so that she faced Kam, their faces inches apart. Asia reached up and grabbed Kam’s flannel, unwilling to give Kam even an inch of distance.

“Better be careful Miss Kameron,” Asia warned breathily. “Don’t be starting something that you can’t finish here.” Just as quickly as it began, the moment ended as Asia pressed a lingering kiss to Kam’s cheek before bounding away, grabbing their empty glasses and taking them back to the bar. Kam huffed, still a bit frozen in shock, hand reaching up instinctively to touch her cheek where Asia’s lips had just been. Kam felt the faint stickiness of lip gloss, and also felt no urge to wipe it away. This _woman_.

Not long after the incident, Kam and Asia agreed that it was probably time to leave. (It had nothing, truly, to do with the way Asia was looking at her like she was something Asia wanted to _devour_.) Kam refused to allow herself to get her hopes up that her night with Asia might not quite be over yet. Kam was enjoying what they had so far, to put it mildly, and was terrified of losing that by the next day. But maybe Asia expected sex? Or worse, what if Kam made a move and Asia rejected her? What if this date wasn’t going as well as Kam thought it was? Kam walked Asia home and Asia still held her hand, while Kam leaned in closer to her as Kam’s body started to noticeably cool in the moonlight. Asia regaled Kam with stories of med school and some of the gross things she had seen in the ER when she had to do her rotation there.

“I had a really good time tonight Kameron,” Asia said softly as they stopped outside her door. Kam’s heart pounded. What was she supposed to say? What was she supposed to do?!

“Me too. I really did,” Kam rasped out and Asia squeezed their linked hands.

“Do you want to come up?” Asia blurted out and Kam’s heart that had just sped up seemed to now plummet to a halt. Abso-fucking-lutely Kam wanted to come up. “You don’t have to or anything,” Asia rushed out, squeezing Kam’s hand again. “I mean, I want to see you more, and again, so I’m not quite ready to say goodbye, but also…I’m hoping there will be a second date?” Asia looked at Kam hopefully.

“Yes,” Kam exhaled in relief, a smile splitting her face. “There can definitely be a second date.” Asia’s eyes lit up and danced in the glow of the streetlight. Kam’s breath caught in her throat as Asia’s free hand drifted up slowly and brushed her thumb against Kam’s cheek, as though Kam might bolt. Just as minutely, Asia leaned forward, eyes glancing at Kam’s lips before fluttering closed as Kam met her halfway. Asia’s lips were just as warm as her hands and she heated the kiss as she pulled Kam’s body flush against her own. Kam finally – finally! – was able to rest her hands on the dip of Asia’s waist as she thumbed the bare skin of her back. Asia tasted like _promise_ and a shudder rippled through Kam’s body as Asia hummed in pleasure. Asia kissed with precision, nothing messy and each movement maximizing Kam’s arousal.

A wolf whistle across the street broke their trance and Asia scowled as Kam flipped the frat boy off.

“Maybe…maybe we could go upstairs now?” Kam ventured hesitantly. Asia’s smile instantly returned.

Kam’s eyes gazed around in wonder as she took in the space Asia inhabited and delighted in learning even more about the wonderful woman. Everything in the comfortably sized apartment was ordered and in its correct place, from the basket of folded blankets to the alphabetized bookcase. Kam smiled as she _knew_ the bed was made and the make-up stand would be immaculate. It was also easy to be tidy because the apartment didn’t look particularly lived in. There was a distinct lack of personal items or any indication that Asia spent much time there; the couch was practically new with no indentations indicating a favorite side and there was no evidence any sort of hobby (Kam would have put money on candle making or something like that). A large window in the living room let in the faint glow of the moonlight and, from the 32nd story, looked down on the rooftops of buildings across the street. Kam wandered back over to the kitchen where Asia was pouring two glasses of white wine, coming up behind her and kissing her shoulder again, one hand on her waist and the other on the too-cold marble countertop.

“I like it here,” Kam mumbled into Asia’s shoulder. Asia chuckled.

“Well, I wouldn’t know about me,” Asia said gesturing to the rest of the apartment. “I’m at the hospital so much, it’s like I’m barely even here.” Asia turned back around, sliding one of the glasses into Kam’s hand and clinking them together before taking a sip of her own.

“I guess we’ll have to work on that, won’t we?” Kam teased before taking a sip of the oaky Chardonnay. A smile lit up Asia’s face and she leaned forward, pressing her lips against Kam’s. With no interruptions, the kiss heated quickly and somewhere along the way glasses were discarded and Kam’s head swam with the overwhelming warmth of _Asia._ Kam deepened the kiss, pressing herself forward against her before, in one smooth movement, lifting Asia and depositing her on the counter. Asia gasped as she was airborne and held Kam’s face between her hands.

“Kameron, you promised no powers until tomorrow,” Asia scolded breathlessly.

“What? I didn’t…” Kam’s mind was foggy and she wasn’t able to get out a complete sentence. But she watched Asia’s pupils dilate as Asia let out a soft ‘oh’ of understanding before hungrily returning her lips to Kam’s with renewed enthusiasm, tugging Kam’s flannel off. Kam allowed the shirt to fall to the floor and Kam was finally able to get what she had been craving. The change in position gave Kam unfiltered access to Asia’s soft thighs, and Kam ran her hands across the silky expanse of skin, letting them wander underneath her dress. Asia shivered and broke the kiss.

“Kameron. Bed. Please,” Asia moaned.

“Yes ma’am,” Kam gasped for breath against Asia’s neck, picking her up from the counter and setting her back on her feet.

“This way,” Asia commanded, tugging on Kam’s hand who followed Asia reverently. Kam had no time to examine the room as Asia pushed her down on the bed and glided into her lap, knees on either side of Kam as she tangled her fingers in Kam’s hair and kissed her again. Kam leaned eagerly into the kiss and slid one hand underneath Asia dress, gripping her ass over the satin panties to hold her in place. God, everything about Asia was so _warm_ and Kam was always so _cold_ and even if Asia hadn’t been beautiful and brilliant and funny, Kam would have _lusted_ after Asia’s heat and Kam’s head was spinning and everything was amazing. Asia had found her way under Kam’s tank and Kam moaned as Asia’s scorching hands lit her skin on fire. Kam’s other hand supported the back of Asia’s head and drifted down to the tie of Asia’s dress, tapping the nearby skin once, twice, three times to ask for permission. Asia nodded into the kiss, bringing one hand up to Kam’s face as Kam tugged, and suddenly the dress fell down to Asia’s waist. Kam pulled back to take in Asia’s body.

“Wow,” she breathed, letting her gaze trail from the slopes of Asia’s neck, to her defined collar bones, before settling on Asia’s chest where her breasts sat slightly wide, but were full and round and Kam had never seen anything more perfect. Asia reached for her, pulling at the hem of Kam’s shirt and Kam lifted her arms so Asia could take it off in one smooth motion. Asia’s eyes drank her in as Kam’s gaze never left Asia’s body. Asia reached around behind her and tapped three times against the clasp of Kam’s bra, eyebrow raised in a question. Kam nodded and Asia unfastened her bra and Kam let it fall into the space between them. Kam worried, briefly, about what Asia would think; any semblance of boobs on her was entirely the work of the push up bra. Asia’s hand traveled up from her waist, to her shoulder and down to her bicep before moving back to her chest. Asia brushed her thumb against the side of Kam’s boob before letting it travel slowly over to Kam’s nipple which caused her to _whine_.

“You’re so hot,” Asia said thickly through a darkened gaze and the words caused Kam’s panties to drip with desire. Kam pulled Asia back to her as she pressed their lips together again, their tongues dancing and Kam submitted to Asia completely. Asia pushed Kam down and unbuttoned her jeans as Kam shimmied them off and Asia’s dress fell to the floor, leaving them both just in their underwear. Asia covered Kam with her body and pushed her knee between Kam’s legs, causing the smaller woman to gasp. Asia’s chest pressed firmly against her own as Kam’s hands trailed along Asia’s waist and down to her ass. Asia moaned and pressed her fingers against Kam’s panties and the noise that came out of Kam was feral and needy. Asia huffed a ghost of a laugh in Kam’s ear as she circled Kam’s clit and it took all of Kam’s effort to keep her raggedy breath under control as she clawed for a grip at Asia’s back. As Asia touched her in a way that sent a bolt of lightning through Kam’s legs, Kam let out a loud moan and in trying to egg Asia on, she felt her powers gather nearly imperceptibly inside her and as she scratched down Asia’s back, she felt a nail catch her skin the wrong way and Asia hissed in pain. The sound jolted Kam out of her pleasure.

“Oh my god Asia,” Kam struggled to try and sit up, panic flooding through her as she hoped Asia wasn’t bleeding. It felt like Asia might be bleeding.

“ _I’mokKamdon’tmove_ ,” Asia rushed out, her voice low as she pushed Kam back down on the pillow and captured Kam’s lips again. Kam hesitated, moving back into the kiss slowly, until Asia guided Kam’s hand to between her legs so Kam could feel exactly how okay Asia was. The wetness dripping through Asia’s panties distracted Kam almost completely and she pressed one finger hard against Asia. Asia moaned into Kam’s mouth and slipped her fingers just inside Kam’s panties and every single one of Kam’s senses was drowning in Asia. She smelled Asia’s cherry blossom perfume, she tasted the Chardonnay mixed with peach lip gloss on her mouth, she heard Asia’s soft gasp as Kam touched her at a sensitive angle, she opened her eyes to see Asia’s dark hair tucked behind her ear and Asia’s hazy eyes as she met Kam’s gaze. And then she felt – _oh god Kam felt_ – Asia’s fingers moving inside and Asia’s heat now threatened to consume her from the inside out. Kam felt her arms slacken as she thrust her hips into Asia’s hand losing any coherent thought other than the need for Asia to be deeper inside of her.

“Asia…Asia please…” Kam stuttered and she felt the delicious friction of Asia’s fingers against her clit as Asia thrust them back in. Asia leaned down and kissed her, her tongue moving inside Kam’s mouth as her fingers were buried to their knuckles below. And then Asia broke the kiss, gliding down Kam’s chest and stomach, stopping along the way to suck on her nipple and lick her hip and Kam didn’t know if she was going to make it to what was coming _next_.

“Kam…touch me,” Asia begged as she nipped against Kam’s inner thigh and Kam hesitated as a thread of fear drove its way through her mind. Kam tentatively wove her fingers though Asia’s hair as Asia gave one gentle flick of her tongue.

“ _Fuck_ ,” Kam swore loudly and she forced her hand to let go of Asia’s hair instead of gripping it tightly, too tightly. She had already lost control once and Asia was so quickly making her lose control again and Kam _never_ lost control and if Kam _hurt_ Asia, if she broke a bone or cut her open because she couldn’t rein in her fucking powers, Kam would never forgive herself. Asia sucked her clit at the same time as her fingers hit a spot inside Kam that was making her see stars. Kam forced her hand onto Asia’s free arm, hand wrapping around her wrist and trailing towards her elbow.

“Just like that, that’s so good Asia that’s so fucking good my god you’re amazing, _Asia_ ,” Kam babbled as she felt herself building and building and Kam chased that feeling and with Asia between her thighs, she felt herself start to tip over the edge, forcing herself to let go of Asia’s arm and instead gripping the comforter so hard she felt her head spin. Kam heard herself moan low and deep as a tidal wave of pleasure rushed through her body, Asia’s tongue guiding her through the feeling as it felt like her head was underwater. Kam broke the surface some indeterminable amount of time later as she was brought back to reality by Asia running one finger up her clit, the extreme sensitivity of it at the moment brilliant blurring the line between pleasure and pain.

“Asia,” Kam mumbled through a fog and fumbled her finger to Asia’s panties where the wetness seemed to be leaking through and Asia stopped her with a kiss. The acidic taste burned against her tongue and Kam was hit with a wave of possessiveness she had never felt with a partner before. Asia tasted like _her_ goddamnit.

“Kameron, baby, breathe for two seconds, ok?” Asia said sweetly, running her thumb across Kam’s lower lip. Kam nodded and took a few deep breaths before pulling Asia on top of her to let the other woman straddle her.

“Now?” Kam asked, thumbing Asia’s clit through her panties.

“Now,” Asia agreed breathlessly as she slipped them off and then there was _nothing_ between them and Kam noticed she was completely shaved and the _heat_ radiating off of Asia was intoxicating. Kam’s thumb rubbed her clit and Asia’s head was thrown back in pleasure. Kam nudged two fingers upward and Asia took the cue, sliding on top of them and moving slowly. Asia’s breasts bounced beautifully with every slide forward and Kam thought she might be able to cum from the sight of Asia’s body alone. Kam _wanted_ , Kam wanted more than _anything_ to lay Asia out and have the stunning woman laid bare before her and bury her face in Asia’s pussy but she just _couldn’t_ , she couldn’t risk thrusting too hard or gripping Asia too tight, but it also meant Kam got to watch _this_ , so in the moment she felt nothing like disappointment. She held Asia in place by her ass and slipped a third finger in as Asia picked up the pace and Kam felt Asia’s thighs start to shake and she put just a tiny bit more pressure against Asia’s clit.

“ _Kameron. Kam_ ,” Asia gasps out as her movements stutter and Kam carefully thrusted her fingers to keep the sensation going for Asia as Asia threw her head back and pleasure overtook her expression. The moments seemed to stretch on forever and also be over in an instant as Kam saw Asia’s muscles sag and relax. Kam had no words as Asia slipped off her fingers, her body clinching tightly around Kam so they both groaned with unhappiness as Asia separated them. Kam reached for Asia’s arm, hair, anything she could touch as Asia settled in beside her, resting her head on Kam’s shoulder and tossing her left leg across Kam’s waist. Kam’s right hand instantly came up and settled on Asia’s thigh, gently massaging the silky skin there. They passed a few moments in silence as Kam buried her nose in Asia’s hair and listened to her breathing even out. Kam’s other arm came around to Asia’s back and shoulder, feeling for the scratch she had left. Kam found it and winced, she had certainly drawn blood, but the bleeding seemed to have stopped. Kam fought to try and quash the guilt that was swirling in her stomach.

“That was pretty fucking amazing Kameron,” Asia said conversationally minutes later. Kam snorted and was met with another wave of cherry blossom.

“That was pretty fucking amazing,” Kam replied, although the answer felt like the biggest understatement she had ever given. Asia propped herself up on her elbow to look Kam in the eye.

“And who would have guessed, Kameron Michaels, part of the Supe Council, is also the world’s biggest pillow princess,” Asia teased with delight dancing in her chocolate irises.

“I can’t help it that you’re such a top,” Kam defended with a laugh. Kam hesitated for a second and her thoughts just started spilling out of her. “I know…I know you wanted me to touch you and I’m sorry but I just couldn’t, Asia I was so scared of hurting you and I _wanted_ …I wanted all of that but if I broke a bone, or if I hurt you, Asia I would never be able to forgive myself,” Kam rushed out, feeling her hands start to shake as the fear came rushing back to her.

“Kameron, Kam, baby, it’s okay,” Asia soothed her. “Hey, listen, it’s okay.” Asia cupped Kam’s cheek. “It’s okay Kameron,” Asia said firmly. “You didn’t hurt me. And I trust you. If something did happen, I know it would be an accident and we’d work through it together. Do _you_ trust _me_?” Asia asked. Kam nodded as her hand moved back to Asia’s thigh.

“Of course. Of course I trust you,” Kam exhaled.

“Good,” Asia nodded and a smile returned to her face. She leaned down and bumped her nose against Kam’s. “We can work through this at whatever pace you’re comfortable with,” Asia promised and she stole another kiss, Kam’s back arching against the bed to get closer.

“Maybe…maybe we can try next time?” Kam ventured as the kiss broke. Asia’s grin stretched across her whole face.

“I’d like that very much.”

The pair stayed in their current position, Asia’s head on Kam’s shoulder and Kam’s hand rubbing Asia’s thigh, and murmured about anything and everything that came to mind. Asia whispered about the pamphlets that had started appearing at the hospital about a radical Supe rights group that were unnerving the nurses while Kam regaled Asia with the details of a particularly eventful fight where she had to take on Smalls _and_ Chi by herself. As time ticked on, Asia words started to slur and Kam got so close to succumbing to sleep, but she pulled herself out of it at the last minute. Did Asia want her to go? It seemed unlikely, but girls usually wanted Kam to leave after. Finally, Kam couldn’t keep quiet anymore.

“Should I…should I go?” Kam asked hesitantly. “I mean, you have work tomorrow and everything and I don’t want to be in the way…” She tried to give Asia an out so Asia wouldn’t have to directly tell her to leave. Kam felt Asia’s eyelashes blink in surprise as she pushed herself up so she could make eye contact with Kam.

“If you’re asking if you should go because you want to go, that’s fine,” Asia said slowly, considering her words carefully. “You said we’re going to see each other again and I believe you, so I’m not worried that you’re just running out but…” Asia paused slightly and then said gently: “If you’re asking if you should go because you think _I_ want you to go, Kameron nothing could be further from the truth.” Kam felt her heart melt, and that was the moment she knew nothing would ever be the same again. Kam leaned forward and kissed her in response, and then she drifted off with Asia’s arm draped across her chest.

The next morning, Asia’s alarm blared with the rising of the sun but Kam felt more well rested than she had in ages. Asia groaned as her hand knocked around her bedside table looking for her phone before finally shutting it off. They hadn’t moved an inch in the middle of the night it seemed; Kam’s hand still rested on Asia’s bare thigh which at the moment was keeping her pinned in bed.

“Good morning,” Asia said groggily.

“Good morning!” Kam chirped and Asia moaned.

“You’re a morning person, aren’t you?” Kam laughed quietly.

“Maybe just a bit,” she admitted. Asia snuggled back down into Kam’s shoulder and Kam privately thought that she might be able to get used to sleeping in. Asia heaved a sigh and pushed herself up.

“Well, if I have to get up, I need to take a shower. Want to join me?” Asia asked with a satisfied smirk and Kam launched out of bed.

Asia was in a bit of a hurry, so the shower was just both of them laughing and playing in the suds as Kam washed Asia’s body while Asia rinsed her hair. It was a sacrifice Kam was willing to make.

Asia tied her the shoelaces of her comfortable sneakers with a flourish as Kam slipped her flannel from the night before back on.

“So, will I see you at the hospital later for the test results?” Asia questioned as she pulled Kam in for a kiss.

“You will,” Kam confirmed with a smile. “I’ll be there later this afternoon, but as Kam of course.”

“Right,” Asia nodded. “There will be no crime fighting today, right?” Asia asked sternly.

“I’m going to try not to,” Kam promised. “But if anything comes up, I’m on duty for the Council today because I haven’t been on since the Trixie Cosmetics thing. And it is Saturday, so most of us have the day off from our regular jobs,” Kam teased as she wrapped her arms around Asia’s neck. Asia groaned, distracted from the possibility of Kam using her powers.

“I know, I know, but I’m the only doctor in the ward and the nurses can only keep everything flowing for so long…”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Kam cut her off. “I’ll get to see you this afternoon, and that’s all I care about.” Asia threw another one of those luminescent smiles her way and pulled Kam in for a tender, lazy kiss.

“And I know you’re not supposed to ask a girl for another date right after you’ve had the first one but…maybe you can come over for pizza and a movie after I get off?” Asia asked hopefully. Kam’s mouth ran dry.

“I would love that,” Kam answered earnestly.

The afternoon rolled around, and Kam had been held up from meeting Asia by an encounter with Sakura, who had been trying to release the animals from the zoo on the citizens of the park. While for most people, Kam would probably assume that there was some other, personal reason for such a ridiculous plan, this was exactly the kind of pandemonium that Sakura _thrived_ on. And so Kam not only had to avoid the overwhelming number of small bouncy balls that Sakura used both as a weapon and a defensive strategy (she had tripped over more of those things that she cared to admit), but she also had to dodge the tigers and the chimps and pick up the rhinos and elephants to put them back in their enclosures. So Kam went to the hospital with a few tears in her outfit and with a slight headache from all of Sakura’s yelling, but Sakura had managed to slip the police so Kam would likely have to deal with Sakura sometime in the near future (unless, hopefully, Valentina was on duty then because those two deserved each other).

Asia was sitting in her office working on paperwork when Kam knocked on her patio door. Asia beamed and bounded over to let Kam in.

“Hey,” Kam grinned, reaching around to pull Asia close as Asia’s lips met Kam’s in a hungry kiss.

“Hey Kameron,” Asia replied softly as she pulled away, her eyes glowing. “I take it you weren’t able to avoid using your powers?” Asia questioned, gesturing towards Kam’s ripped outfit with one eyebrow raised. Kam winced.  
  


“Sakura,” she supplied. “That bitch let all the animals out of the zoo just for the fun of it and let me tell you, that rhino was _not pleased_ when I had to carry him back to his cage.” Asia burst out laughing and she grabbed Kam’s arm as she tried to compose herself.

“You have to admit, that’s kind of amazing,” Asia admitted, still chuckling.

“Well, neither the police nor the people at the zoo were very thrilled,” Kam added dryly. With a huff of laughter Asia crossed the room shaking her head and grabbed a sealed, brown envelope.

“Here,” she said handing it to Kam. “We might as well get this out of the way. I haven’t opened it,” Asia added. “I thought that was for you to do.”

“Thanks,” Kam said, trying to answer nonchalantly as her heart started to pound in her chest. It was fine. It was fine. Asia had said it was fine, that she didn’t have many of the symptoms, and Asia must be right. This was just holdover anxiety that every Supe had about the disease. Kam ripped it opened and skimmed the solitary paper inside. And then she skimmed it again. And again.

“Well, what is it?” Asia asked, both impatient and nervous. Kam took a steadying breath. Her heart plummeted.

“It’s positive.”


	13. Jan III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are literally the best, just like, the absolute best. I just want to gush about all of you so much; I cannot believe that some of you are taking the time to tell me you like this story and just UGH!!! You all are the main reason I'm so committed to this story, so thank you for all your encouragement!!! I hope everyone loves this chapter as we get a little plot movement and get a better sense of what the world is like for Supes. Again, you all are the best!!
> 
> PS: I have the entirety of what I call "Arc I" planned out , and I think just accidentally, it's come out that all the characters will have 4 chapters (except Sasha who I numbered weirdly) in this first arc. Then two more to go!!! I did the math on how long this story will be...and let's just say I'm not doing that again lol.
> 
> Also, you guys totally jogged my memory for what lady and the tramp meant, so thank you so much!!! It wasn't actually anyone's guess, but I think all of our collective brainpower just brought it right back to me :) Again, you all are literally the best and this chapter is for you!

Jan’s long, blonde ponytail swung and she bounded to the first day of class with Nicky beside her, who looked much less thrilled about the 9 am start time than Jan. The bees were buzzing, the air was crisp as the early days of fall threatened to arrive, and Jan had a brand-new matching lavender notebook and pen set.

It was almost enough to distract from the lines of screaming protesters set up behind the picket line.

“Salope, it is far, far too early for this,” Nicky grumbled, as a loud, masculine yell of “TERRORIST APOLOGIST” broke through their conversation.

“Well, considering you’re also in bed watching Netflix right now, I’m not really interested in your complaints,” Jan said sweetly in the quietest voice she could manage. This part of campus was beautiful, a large quad that was the only green refuge downtown as they headed to a building on the opposite side. After the university president had sent out an email the previous evening saying that protesters would be on campus, Jan and Nicky had discussed taking a long route to their first class, essentially going around the quad as opposed to through it, before both agreeing that it was important to make a visual statement and not hide away. After they got an email from their professor asking the whole class to come through the quad, Nicky and Jan knew they had made the right decision.

Jan especially felt like it was her responsibility to deal with the protesters head on as they were here as a direct result of the 9 am class in question. For the first time in the history of any university ever, MetU was offering a class on Supe history (“History of Superwomen: From Cave to Cape”), and there were a lot of people afraid and angry about that kind of acknowledgement. Jan had been shocked when she had seen the course listing the previous spring, and it was quickly picked up by national news. The class had a maximum of thirty seats and, as soon-to-be sophomores, Jan didn’t think she and Nicky had a chance in hell of getting seats. But still, she whipped Nicky into shape at 5:45 on a Monday morning so they could try and get a seat at 6. Somehow, when they refreshed the page at 6:01, both she and Nicky were enrolled and there was now a waitlist of 43 other students.

As they got closer and closer to the stairs of Ginsberg Hall, the protesters realized that they must be there for Supe history and the jeers got even louder. Jan saw a sign that read: “SuperFreaks Are A Punishment From God” and Jan was grateful that campus security was standing by in case any of them tried to get across the picket line.

“Disgusting,” Nicky muttered as she too caught sight of the SuperFreaks sign. Jan and Nicky both flashed their university IDs to the security guard at the door, and he checked their names against the class roster in his hand. Jan watched his finger trail down the page until he found “Jan” and “Nicky” in close proximity and waved them inside.

Ginsberg Hall, while immaculate in its faux Classical style exterior, lacked a certain charm on the interior. The green carpet from the ‘80s had a musty smell, the cheap wood paneling was flaking off, and the low cork ceilings were pitted with water marks. Jan resisted the urge to scrunch her nose. The building was always a stop on campus tours for the Old-World air of importance, but in reality, the building was half condemned and only home to overflow classrooms for professors who were unlucky enough to get assigned there. Jan and Nicky trudged up the stairs, resigned to the fact that they would have to spend two days a week in this building for the entire semester. Jan pushed the door open to room 403A and was met with a half-full classroom already. An off-center white board sat along one wall with a large (probably purchased from a yard sale?) brown desk nearby. The students had spread out in the room, with the far back corner unsurprisingly yielding the highest density, and Jan cringed as she recognized a few familiar faces.

Kim and Naomi, a pair of juniors, sat in one of the middle rows, and Naomi gave her and Nicky a disinterested once over as they came in, with a look that suggested that she thought she was better than them. Kim’s eyebrows raised skeptically in a way that suggested she _knew_ she was better than them. Jan knew where she and Nicky wouldn’t be sitting. Jan, in her effervescent naivete the first week of freshman year, had bounded over to the two cool-looking, fashionable girls in the dining hall and taken a seat, chirping that she was a freshman and looking to make friends! Kim and Naomi had looked at each other and burst out laughing before Naomi had said their friendship wasn’t open to Polly Pocket cheerleaders in that scathing drawl. Both Naomi and Kim had gotten up and left Jan sitting alone at the table until Nicky caught up a few moments later with a full tray and a ‘told you’.

Jan nudged Nicky over to the front row of the far side of the room and Nicky dug her feet in.

“Absolutely not, I am not sitting in the front row, especially for the entire semester,” Nicky hissed.

“Don’t you know that the only people that get A’s sit in the front row?” Jan challenged back as she herded Nicky that way without taking no for an answer.

“Think about what you’re saying Jan, there were 250 students in bio last year and only 20 seats in the front row, do you really think those were the only A’s?” Nicky huffed, but allowed Jan to guide her that way – although she did make sure to get very last seat of the front row, leaving Jan with the one next to her.

A few more students trickled in and the class was rapidly approaching both thirty students and 9 am. Notably, a stunning pink haired girl wandered in almost in tears at 8:52, Jan assumed as a result of the protesters outside. At 8:56 there was still no sign of the professor, but a girl with bright yellow hair and a furry yellow coat (with an exposed yellow bralette underneath) pushed the door opened confidently and cocked an eyebrow, surveying the room for a seat. She seemed to settle on the area near Jan and Nicky, as moments later she strode over and took the seat behind Jan.

“What’s up nerds?” the girl said casually, and Jan and Nicky looked at one another trying to determine if the girl was talking to them.

“My name’s Lemon,” the girl continued, unphased. “And unlike most of the people in this city that go by ridiculous names, I was actually born with that one.”

“Hi, I’m Jan!” Jan said brightly, sticking her hand out for Lemon to shake.

“Nicky,” Nicky replied simply, with much more trepidation. Lemon looked unimpressed by Jan’s outstretched hand.

“Sorry doll, ever since I read that 42% of people don’t wash their hands after they go to the bathroom, I stopped touching other people’s disease farms,” Lemon said nonchalantly. Jan’s eyebrows furrowed.

“Is that true?” she asked, a bit shocked. Lemon shrugged.

“Idk. So, what brought you two to this publicity shitshow?” Lemon sat at her desk and put her face in her hands and Jan had to turn around in her seat to look at her.

“Well…” Jan started.

“ _I’m_ here trying to impress a girl,” Lemon continued as though Jan hadn’t spoken. “She’s an absolute idiot. She thinks she’s got me fooled, but it couldn’t be more obvious that she’s a Supe.”

“How do you know she’s a Supe?” Nicky butted in, intrigued. Lemon rolled her eyes.

“Just because she’s an idiot bitch, she thinks everyone _else_ is an idiot, like I never would never put two and two together that she both has like six rolls of latex _and_ is never around at night. And she stuttered like a crazy lady when I asked her to take this class with me,” Lemon added. “She wouldn’t even think about registering, she thought like people would be able to _smell_ Supes.” Jan laughed nervously.

“Well, I don’t think anyone can _smell_ Supes,” Jan said, an octave too high. Lemon looked her up and down.

“You might be surprised,” she said, but whatever was going to come next was cut off by the door bursting open and a woman, the professor certainly, with black skin and piercing brown eyes, strode through the door.

“That is a suspiciously large woman,” Lemon whispered, but Jan barely heard her. Jan’s eyes were focused on what came _behind_ the giant woman, as a much shorter woman with curly black hair looked hesitant upon entering the classroom. _Jackie_.

Jan’s breath caught in her throat, and Nicky started quickly but silently hitting Jan’s arm as though she wasn’t aware the _Jackie_ , her future _wife_ , had just walked in the door. Jan was pleased to realize that she hadn’t overestimated Jackie’s beauty in the dim light of the basement, that Jackie stunningly etched face could still take her breath away. Jackie’s eyes flickered around the room taking everyone in individually. When her gaze landed on Jan, Jan’s heart hammered as she looked into Jackie’s amber eyes. And there was no recognition in Jackie’s gaze; she turned away from Jan just as quickly as she had turned away from the others. Jan’s face fell, unbearably disappointed, until she realized that if Jackie had recognized her, all it would prove was that Jan had a rather useless mask.

“Hello shit-stirrers,” the professor announced, dropping her bag on the desk. “I want to thank you all for riling up the crowd out there, I can truly say that it made my morning infinitely more enjoyable to see them with their panties in a twist.”

“I’m Roberta,” the woman introduced, imposingly commanding the room effortlessly as any traces of conversation from the students had disappeared entirely. “But you all should call me Bob, because gender is a _construct honey_ and Bob is so much better than Berta or some shit. Or I guess if you feel so inclined, you can call me Dr. Bob if ya nasty.”

“I finished my PhD here at MetU a few years ago,” Bob continued, leaning her hands on the table. “My research was about the correlation between Supes, homelessness, and anti-Supe legislation in the city. And before you ask, _yes_ , I _have_ met Del Rio and _yes_ she is actually that ugly in person.” A ripple of laughter echoed quietly around the room and Jan looked up to see even Jackie cracking a smile.

“And this,” Bob said gesturing towards Jackie, “is someone you might recognize if you follow the city’s Supe politics. I’ll let Jackie introduce herself.”

“Hi, everyone, I’m Jackie Cox,” Jackie voiced waveringly, somewhat nervous with thirty-one pairs of eyes glued to her. Jan found the nervousness adorable and just wanted to squeeze her until she burst. “I’m a first-year master’s student in the Mechanical Engineering department. I don’t really have a specialty yet, because I’m a Supe,” Jackie said looking around the room as a barely perceptible murmur echoed around the room. “I can make anything mechanical work. If it has a gear, wire, or screw, chances are I can tell you everything about it.”

“Can you fix my phone?” a boy’s voice called out from the back. Jackie seemed to sigh just a bit.

“You know, normally I wouldn’t, but since it’s the first day of class, I’ll make an exception. Bring it up here,” Jackie commanded and the sandy-haired boy slipped out of his desk and dropped a smartphone into Jackie’s hand.

“What’s wrong with it?” she questioned, turning the phone over in her hands.

“Shouldn’t you know?” the boy answered, not _entirely_ snidely. Jan saw Jackie refrain from rolling her eyes before they suddenly flashed that same vibrant topaz Jan had seen last week. The boy took a stutter step backwards and Jackie’s eyes returned to their honeyed hue only half a second later.

“Did you really think putting it in rice would fix the fact that you dropped it in the ocean?” Jackie asked exasperatedly. “It got all the moisture out, but didn’t get the salt, and the salt is what’s been corroding your battery and making your charge weaker and weaker and that’s why it’ll barely turn on. But I fixed it,” Jackie said grudgingly. “Just…you don’t need to try and take pictures in the ocean, okay? And I cleared your browsing history, as you probably should regularly,” she said pointedly at the boy whose face turned bright red as his friends howled in laughter.

“Y-yeah, thanks,” the boy stuttered and fled back to his seat and Jan saw Bob hide a smile behind her hand.

“So, you’re like…on the registry and stuff?” the pink-haired girl who came in crying asked. Jackie nodded.

“Yes, I am on the registry, the only Supe in the city to elect to be on the registry in fact,” Jackie nodded. “Which is why I’m allowed to be here as your TA; when Bob found out I was starting as a student at MetU, she asked me to TA for her due to my personal experience with the subject matter, so I said yes,” Jackie shrugged, looking over at the older woman.

“Which leads me back to the class itself,” Bob took over smoothly. “As y’all saw, this class is about the history of Supes, from ancient times to the modern day with a special emphasis on the last 50 years. We’ll be going over the changing social conceptions of Supes, how Supes have been affected by legislation and discrimination, and the rise of masked Supes that work for both good and villainy. Now, for the ground rules of the class,” Bob said dramatically. “First,” she held up one finger. “Attendance is mandatory. I realize y’all might not want to be here at 9 in the morning, but this class has a waitlist longer than the enrollment so I’m not going to stand for you taking a spot from someone else who would have come to class. We’re operating on a three-strike system – miss three classes, and you fail for the semester. Second, I’m not going to ask you why ya’ll are here. I imagine many of you have your reasons,” Bob glanced around the room meaningfully. “So I will not stand for anyone outing a Supe – either yourselves or anyone else – between these four walls. Got it?” Jan found herself nodding even though the question wasn’t directly specifically at her.

“And finally, and perhaps most importantly,” Bob continued. “Supes are not aliens. They’re not gods. They’re not a different species. They’re human, and I expect everyone in this class to give Supes the same basic respect that they would give any other human. I will not tolerate slurs, or bigotry, or any of that nonsense. Am I clear?” Jan and the rest of the class sat at rapt attention, and although she couldn’t see most of them, she was sure they must be nodding too.

“I’m going to need verbal confirmation of that,” Bob insisted and a chorus of ‘yes’ rang throughout the room. “Good,” Bob said, nodding. “I’m going to get the projector set up; Jackie, can you take attendance?”

“Sure!” Jackie replied and took the sheet Bob handed her, along with a pen from her bag. Jan watched, enraptured, as Jackie pulled the cap of the pen off with her teeth, black wavy curls dancing around her shoulders. Nicky, completely aware of the stupid look of Jan’s face, snickered, and Jan heard her without her brain processing the sound.

“Alexander?” Jackie called, and one of the boys in the back let out a ‘here!’. “Danielle?” A quiet voice from the middle of the pack responded. Jackie worked her way through the list, and Jan noted that there were more girls than boys in the class and that the pink haired girl who had come in crying was called ‘Farrah’, but Jan could only feel the pounding of her heart as list approached ‘J’. Jan was parched for Jackie’s attention; the days since kissing Jackie in her basement stretched out almost beyond what Jan could bear, but also because she _knew_ that Jackie would have to recognize her once she heard her name…wouldn’t she?

“Irene?” Jackie said, and by this point her face didn’t even look up from the page. When Irene called back that she was present, Jan swallowed hard. It was almost the moment. It. Was. Almost. The. Moment.

“J-Jan?” Jackie stuttered over the name and Jan’s heart soared. Jackie looked up from her page and glanced around the room, starting to look frantic, but she controlled herself at the last minute. Jackie’s eyes were wide and Jan saw her searching up and down the rows.

“Present!” Jan chirped and Jackie wheeled around to face her. Their eyes locked and Jan smirked as she watched the breath leave Jackie’s lungs and recognition flash in those beautiful eyes.

“Is…that short for anything?” Jackie finally got out, sounding maybe, almost, normal.

“Nope,” Jan said, popping the ‘p’, grin stretching across her face. “It’s just Jan.”

“Just Jan,” Jackie said weakly. “I’ll keep that in mind.” As though she suddenly realized there was still an entire class to get through, Jackie turned away from Jan and called out the next name (“Kim”, who lazily rolled her eyes and raised her hand, quipping something to Naomi that caused the much taller girl to smirk and chuckle). Jan’s legs ached to carry her over to Jackie, the twenty feet feeling like too much to bear. But she would get to talk to Jackie after class, Jan realized giddily. She would have seen Jackie later tonight anyway – Jackie was going to give both her and Widow the full report she had gathered from the egg – but Fate had a different plan for them (and Fate had never led Jan astray).

Jackie finished the list, and took up residence in the chair behind the desk, laptop open, as Bob began her lecture. Photos of ancient Greek vases flashed on the screen as Bob began the class by discussing the earliest direct attestations of Supes – the Amazons of Greece as the most prominent ancient example, but the figurines of a woman with scales, a woman shooting something out of her hands, and a sphinx were shown alongside Egyptian paintings showing groups of women flying near the stars. Jan was enamored. Her fingers flew across the page of her new, sparkly, purple notebook as she drank in the stories Bob told. These women were her _ancestors_. Even if not directly, Jan couldn’t help but stare at them in awe as Bob lectured on how revered Supes were, particularly Greece, as a translated poem shone against the whiteboard:

The only one more blessed

Than the city made holy by Fortune’s 100 year kiss,

[Is] the family now immortally formed,

The goddess-heroine protects them all.

Jan copied each word down carefully, etching each word into her notebook as the words, in Bob’s determined cadence, rattled in her head. It wasn’t always like this. People weren’t always this afraid. Jan shook her head slightly, to clear her thoughts. Before she turned her attention back to Bob, she thought that her mom might like a copy of the poem for her birthday.

“…and we’re out of time shit-stirrers, go back out there and give those protesters hell. And don’t forget! One page reflection analysis turned in online by the beginning of class next week. Now get the fuck out of my sight,” Bob shooed them away and, as college students often did, they bolted away to either their next class or the dining hall. Or, if they were Nicky, both. Unlike the rest of her classmates, Jan started packing up slowly, trying to keep her eye on Jackie who seemed to be talking to Bob about the next class, and Jan thought she saw Jackie’s hands shake.

“Later losers,” Lemon said, flashing a peace sign over her shoulder and bounding out of the room.

“Good luck,” Nicky murmured and reached out to grab Jan’s arm in an unusual gesture, as Nicky was not usually tactile in her affections. Jan took a deep breath as suddenly she, Jackie, and Bob were the only ones left in the room. Jackie and Bob seemed to be deep in conversation, but Jan saw Jackie’s eyes flicker over to her. Jan had no excuse left to stay, so she begrudgingly left the room and waited just outside the door, scrolling through her phone with a pounding heart. A minute or two later, Bob came out and she nearly crashed into Jan, her face buried in her phone, as she went tightly around the corner. Bob didn’t even look up as Jan heard Bob mutter ‘Fucking Brianna’ and jog down the stairs. Jackie hadn’t come out yet and Jan’s heart pounded, wondering if she should go back inside. Jan slipped her phone back in her pocket and when she looked up, Jackie was there looking up at her, an unreadable expression on her face. Jackie grabbed Jan’s hand and pulled her back inside the classroom before moving over to sit on the desk. Jan stepped lightly over to her and took a seat beside her, Jackie’s silence causing the blonde unfamiliar nervousness.

“Hey,” Jan softly. Jackie finally looked up at her.

“What are you doing here?” Jackie blurted out, eyes darkening as she crossed her arms protectively in front of her.

“At this moment? Just trying to sit with a gorgeous woman,” Jan said lightly, trying to lighten the mood.

“I’m serious Jan,” Jackie snapped angrily and Jan recoiled.

“I just…I signed up for this class last year,” Jan replied, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. “I had no idea you would be here, I just showed up and here you were!” Jan’s voice raised slightly, defensively as she gestured to the space in front of them with her hands.

“You didn’t think about the fact that you were ruining everything?” Jackie snarled bitterly, head in her hands, and Jan felt her stomach drop. “You just decided to show up and ruin everything I worked for? I was so excited about you too,” Jackie hissed and Jan flinched, wounded.

“And you’re not now?” Jan said quietly. Jan took a chance and touched Jackie’s arm. “Jackie…what did I do? Just tell me what I did.” The touch switched something in Jackie and she gasped, reaching out to grab Jan’s hand in return.

“ _Fuck_ Jan, I’m sorry, I’m so fucking sorry,” Jackie said as tears welled in her wide eyes and Jan felt Jackie’s hands begin to shake. Jan was stunned; she had no words. What in the hell was going on?!

“It’s the gas, I mean, I was going to tell you tonight, but I suppose I have to tell you now,” Jackie rushed out. “I was doing the experiments with it and I guess I got exposed somehow, even though I was super careful, but it seems to have two effects: first it works as a heavy sedative, which I think we missed because it diluted while stuck inside the egg so much, and then it seems to suppress serotonin which would cause someone to demonstrate increased anger and aggression, _fuck_ , I thought it was out of my system, but I don’t know what came over me Jan, I’m so sorry.”

“Jackie, Jackie it’s okay,” Jan rushed to console her and she wrapped one arm around Jackie and felt Jackie’s head lean into her shoulder. Jan could hear Jackie’s heart hammer and Jan ran her fingers gently through Jackie’s curls and Jan snickered every time her fingers got tangled in a particularly tight curl.

A few moments later, Jackie’s heart had slowed and she pulled back, out of Jan’s arms. Jackie let out a heavy sigh.

“Now, ready to tell me what was behind that outburst gorg?” Jan asked, trying to keep her voice upbeat, but worms wiggled in her insides and fear gripped her throat.

“I just…” Jackie’s voice trailed off and she looked away as Jan watched her struggle to find strength inside of her. “I can’t do this…I can’t do us…while you’re in this class. There are rules against it Jan, and I can’t break them, I just can’t, because if I screw up then they’ll blame all of us and hate us even more and it’s _so hard_ Jan,” Jackie said with another sigh as her voice started to get scratchy with tears. “It’s so hard being the only one of us out because I have to be better than perfect, I have to be so much more than that so they won’t hate us,” Jackie said, voice getting softer and softer. “And they still hate us.”

“I can’t imagine what you’ve had to go through,” Jan said tenderly, but she didn’t reach out for Jackie because this felt kind of like a break up, but could it be a break up if they hadn’t had a chance to be together yet?

“So I’ll drop the class,” Jan said with an air of finality. “I’ll drop the class and if you still want to try dating me, then it won’t be against the rules. That would be okay right?” Jan asked nervously.

“Don’t drop the class Jan!” Jackie blurted out, reaching out for Jan’s hands. “I just…I saw how much you enjoyed it,” Jackie said shyly. “It was all over your face the whole class. And I thought everyone would know you were a Supe with your hand flying all over the page like that.” Jan giggled at the image before stopping suddenly.

“Then what do you want to do Jacks?” Jan asked, the name slipping unbidden from her tongue. Jackie’s eyes could start a fire, and Jan was encouraged by the fact that Jackie hadn’t let go of her hands yet.

“I don’t want to wait, but…”

“Then I’ll wait,” Jan interrupted. Jackie looked up at her, as if she didn’t dare to be hopeful.

“You shouldn’t have to wait,” Jackie said although the words looked as if they pained her. “I’m sure there are so many girls who want a chance with you and you shouldn’t have to wait on me.” Jan pulled Jackie to her so their foreheads touched.

“It’s three months Jackie,” Jan whispered into the space between them. “What’s three months compared to the rest of our lives?”

And so, for the last time for three months, Jackie closed the space between them and kissed her.


	14. Monét II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry, I realize this was far later than I intended! I've been trying so hard to get excited about this chapter, since I wasn't 100% sure when I started it exactly where this was going! Monét's last chapter was kind of filler too, so I didn't want to leave her with the chapters where nothing really happens, but nothing was coming to mind for this chapter. SO I kind of decided to just let this chapter happen naturally, and Monét has a BIG dose of plot coming very, very soon. 
> 
> So I hope you all enjoy this chapter!! I literally love all your comments so much (as evidenced by my replies) and you regular commenters are the ones who keep this story driving forward! Next up is Nina, with a plot twist that I'm quite excited about (even if not everyone will come out of it looking like the good guy)! If you have any guesses as to what might be coming next, I literally love predictions so much! Y'all are the best!!!

Monét couldn’t stop smiling. She was sitting on the right bench at the park, overlooking the fountain, while the sun blazed down and warmed her skin. But better than all those things combined was the fact that Monét was here to meet the delightfully cute campaign manager who may or may not be West. When Monét had seen Nina across the room in that gorgeous green dress, it had been like West was superimposed on top of her. Red hair? Check. Soft brown eyes? Check. Tall? Check. Funny, sweet, and kind? Check, check, and check. She _hoped_ that Nina might also be West, but she couldn’t be sure and her brain had mulled this over in her mind nonstop since Monét had come back from that swanky event a little tipsy on champagne and new love.

Bob, of course, had been unsupportive on this _delightful_ morning as she complained about one of her new students for this semester turning in her assignment less than five hours after it had been assigned. Well, Monét hadn’t _actually_ told her about meeting Nina because Monét knew that Bob got too much enjoyment out of making fun of her, so she really couldn’t say Bob was _unsupportive_ , but Bob’s feelings on Monét’s ability to constantly be open to a new relationship were well-documented. Bob hadn’t always been like that however; before she and Brianna had their messy breakup, Bob had seemed so stupidly in love sometimes that Monét would mime puking every time the two touched one another.

But Monét wasn’t here to think about _failed_ love, she was here to think about _new_ love. Nina’s soft kindness mixed with her fiery passion to make the world a better place made Monét feel something infinitely more complex than the love she always thought she found across a dark club’s dance floor.

“Is this seat taken?” a voice joked nervously from beside Monét and she wheeled around, feeling every inch of her brighten up as Nina stood before her, much more practically dressed this time, clad in a black pencil skirt, a white shirt, and a baby blue blazer. Every inch of her screamed ‘important, professional woman’, both simultaneously making Monét _feel things_ and thumb at her jeans self-consciously.

“Nina, hi!” Monét squeaked out an octave too high. Monét covered her nervousness as she usually did: with blind self-confidence. Before Monét’s brain could catch up with her body, she had jumped up and wrapped her arms around Nina in a tight hug. She felt Nina tense and Monét panicked until she felt the ghost of Nina’s arm around her waist and Nina’s palm against her shoulder.

“Hi Monét,” Nina said softly in her ear, and Monét felt her knees go weak. Nina squeezed her just a bit and loosened her grip, causing Monét to reluctantly let go. Monét gestured wildly to the bench for Nina to take a seat. Nina sat on the bench, legs crossed and angled her body towards Monét. Monét mirrored her position and a stream of consciousness monologue started to take shape, as seemed to constantly happen whenever she was near the beautiful woman.

“How was your week? I’ve been thinking about you a lot – but like not in a creepy way, I’ve just been looking forward to our interview and wondering how you are,” Monét started babbling, and was fully aware she was babbling, but was somehow unable to stop. She noticed Nina nervously picking at her nails bouncing her leg and _oh god she’s making things weird_ , but the words just wouldn’t stop flowing out. “I heard the fundraiser was really successful, I mean, I guess I did report on it, but I got Ariel’s press release that you set a record weekly high on donations after that so congrats I…”

“I know who you are,” Nina interrupted, her voice so low in the public park that for a moment Monét thought she misheard her. When the words finally caught up to Monét’s brain, Nina was staring intently at her and all Monét could see was her gorgeous hazel eyes framed by a dusting of light gold eyeshadow.

“I should hope so,” Monét said slowly as her heart started pounding. She thought she knew where this was going, but she didn’t want to get her hopes up – not until she was sure. “I would worry about you if you went around hanging out with strangers on park benches Miss Nina,” Monét finished with a mild teasing tone. _Please, please be her._

“No, I mean…” Nina nervously bit her lip and looked away. Monét was mesmerized by Nina’s lips and was about half a second away from pulling her into a kiss, West or no. Nina raised her hand slightly and the bracelets on Monét’s wrists sprang to life and flew together, locking Monét in golden handcuffs. The moment was sharp, and a bit painful as Monét instinctively tried to fight the magnetism, but she had never been happier a goddamn day in her life. Monét let out a low chuckle.

“Looks like you’ve gotten a bit better with the force Hero,” Monét teased and Nina’s cheeks and nose flushed a light pink. Monét crossed her legs tighter as she surreptitiously pulled against her bracelets and they didn’t budge. Monét had never stopped to consider how helpful Nina’s powers might be in _other situations_ and now that the thought had entered her mind it was _all_ she could think about. “How’d you realize it was me?”

“I-I had a dream about you,” Nina admitted shyly and Monét’s heart soared.

“Miss Nina – or Nina West perhaps I should say – I never took you for that kind of girl. Was it utterly filthy?” Monét ended with a wink that made the rosé color of Nina’s cheek flush a deep crimson.

“It – it wasn’t that kind of dream!” Nina sputtered and Monét cackled. “I just recognized your voice! We were back at the store and you said you’re ‘astute observation’ line and it just all clicked! Did,” Nina’s voice softened. “Did you know it was me?” Monét waited a beat before answering.

“I hoped,” Monét answered tenderly.

In the end, it turned out that there were suddenly a lot more things they needed to discuss. They started walking and whispering, which was rather hard for Monét to do, since she had quite a tendency to be loud. Nina told Monét about her confrontation with the police that night and Monét tried (in vain) to contain her howls of laughter as she imagined the look on the cops’ faces as their guns were suddenly hanging from the ceiling. Monét told Nina how she had tried to find her again, while trying to avoid declaring her undying love for the taller woman. The pair decided to start walking, and followed the path down to the large fountain in the center of the park.

“Wait here,” Nina said quickly and trotted off faster than Monét thought possible in those heels. Monét took the opportunity to appreciate Nina’s figure – no, Nina wasn’t rail thin, but Monét _always_ preferred women with curves and Nina had them in spades. Her blazer fit so perfectly that Monét was drooling over the dip of her waist and the rolling hills of her hips.

Monét watched puzzled as Nina stopped at a hot dog stand – it was probably a bit late for lunch and those hot dog stands were far from sanitary, but Monét had eaten Bob’s cooking before, so she wasn’t one to judge. Monét watched Nina hand over a few bills and start walking back with an arm full of hot dog _buns_. Monét quirked her head sideways, a smile slowly spreading across her face as Nina came back. Nina shrugged as best she could without hot dog buns falling out everywhere.

“I just really love to feed the ducks,” Nina explained helplessly. “And you never know how often they get to eat, and I can’t stand the thought of them going hungry!” Monét melted. She didn’t have the heart to tell the beautiful woman that, with the size of these ducks, they probably didn’t miss many meals.

“Pass some here,” Monét said, reaching out and taking a few to alleviate the overflow from Nina’s arms. Monét took them and set them down on the edge of the fountain, holding one and pinching a bit off before tossing it into the pond. At least four ducks descended on it instantly and Nina let out a quiet laugh of delight before tossing another small piece into the water. As Monét tossed another piece, one duck let out a loud _honk_ before flapping its wings and swooping in, causing Monét to let out a squeal of delight. Monét felt Nina’s eyes on her and she couldn’t bear to look over in case Nina thought she was ridiculous.

Nina was quiet a moment before breaking the spell that kept Monét, Nina, and the ducks in their own protective bubble.

“Can I ask you a question?” Nina asked.

“Coming for my gig again Nina West?” Monét responded cheekily, hoping to see Nina blush again and once she accomplished that, decided to put Nina out of her misery. “Shoot. Ask me anything you want.”

“Why were you robbing that jewelry store?” Nina asked barely audibly, conflict waging war in her soft eyes. Monét sighed, stomach falling. Nina was a Hero, and she was a Villain. She should have expected this. Monét sat on the side of the pond, kicking off her sandals and rolling her jeans up to stick her feet in the water. Her toes touched the water and she flinched slightly at the coolness of it, but submerged them. After a moment, the chill was refreshing on such warm day. Nina followed suit, and Monét noticed that even in her nice skirt, Nina sat on the hard concrete and slipped her feet into the water as well. Her toes were pink, Monét noticed with a jolt, and she was hit with a wave of affection for the other woman.

“I didn’t necessarily have the best childhood,” Monét started, knowing that the story didn’t quite make sense unless she started at the beginning. Monét tossed another piece of hot dog bun into the water and a larger duck snatched it from the grasp of a much smaller one. “My mom wasn’t really ready to be a mom when she got pregnant with me. I stayed with her on and off until I was seven, then she dropped me off at my grandma’s doorstep for the last time. My grandma was amazing, I couldn’t have asked for a better mom than her. She loved me fiercely and was not afraid to whoop my ass if I got out of line – which happened frequently,” Monét added with a smirk and Nina gave her a soft smile.

“And I found out about my powers when I was fifteen. My grandma helped me figure out what was going on when I suddenly was able to carry home all the groceries like they didn’t weight nothing. Granny helped me hide and made sure all the other old church ladies weren’t gossiping about the fact that her granddaughter wasn’t interested in their grandsons. But then a year later, she died,” Monét shrugged and threw another piece towards the tiny duck who was able to gulp it down before it was stolen away. She blinked away tears that threatened to spill over, and she felt Nina scoot closer to her.

“There was no one else to take care of me,” Monét continued. “And I wasn’t about to do no foster care. So, like a lot of Supes, I took care of myself. I had to use my powers to make sure that I could eat and pay the bills – I never filed Granny’s death certificate, so I was able to keep the façade going for probably seven or eight months. And then just as Child Services was about to step in, I met…a friend. She was doing research on Supes, and when she found out how bad my situation had gotten, she stepped in to help. She took care of me, made sure I got to college, and all that jazz. But most Supes…” Monét shook her head.

“Most Supes don’t get that kind of luck. Most Supes end up on the streets, alone, and come down with SCAD or worse. B…my friend is trying to make sure there’s another option. If society won’t accept us, then we don’t owe society nothing. So, to answer your question Nina West,” Monét turned to look at Nina, who seemed to be fighting back tears of her own. Monét felt her insides start to burn, the way they always did when she imagined the haven she was creating.

“I was at that jewelry store because Queen, Cracker, and I are going to make a safe place for Supes to go. There’s this huge piece of land, like acres and acres of it, upstate and far enough away from people that they won’t bother us none. It’s a hundred grand, but we’re going to get the money and make sure every Supe who needs one has a home,” Monét finished, slightly out of breath. She and Nina were both silent for a few moments, and then Nina reached out and covered Monét’s hand with her own and Monét’s heart sung.

“That’s really noble,” Nina said softly. Monét’s mouth curled upwards into a smile.

“I sense a ‘but’ coming Miss Nina,” Monét teased and, in a moment of sheer boldness, turned her hand upwards so Nina’s slotted into her own.

“Haven’t you ever thought about doing things a different way?” Nina asked tentatively, not moving her hand from Monét’s. Perhaps she didn’t even notice it was there. “One that keeps you safe and out of jail?”

“How do you suggest?” Monét shrugged. “No one’s ever looked out for people like us before, and I don’t think they’re about to start now.”

“Brooke’s trying,” Nina said, looking at Monét earnestly. Monét snorted.

“No offence to Brooke Lynn – or you,” Monét answered, bumping Nina’s shoulder. “But I’ll believe it when I see it. Politicians can’t change the world fast enough. Maybe Brooke will move the bar forward just a little bit, but that won’t do anything for the Supes suffering _now_.”

Nina opened her mouth to answer, when suddenly her phone rang, breaking the spell that had them isolated together in their own bubble, just Nina, Monét, and those ducks. It also had the unfortunate side effect of pulling Nina’s hand away from Monét’s.

“Fudge,” Nina swore under her breath as she read her text and Monét laughed out loud. Nina really was so goddamn adorable. Nina looked over and her eyes met Monét’s again. “I’m so sorry, but I have to go. Campaign emergency,” Nina winced. Monét waved her hand in the air.

“It’s all good, don’t stress about it,” Monét answered gently.

“But we didn’t even have time for the interview!” Nina suddenly realized, looking panicked. Monét reached out again and held Nina’s arm to both physically and emotionally settle her.

“Don’t worry about it Nina West. How about we meet back here in a few days, hm? After you get that emergency sorted out,” Monét finished with a chuckle and Nina’s eyes met hers gratefully.

“That would be amazing,” Nina replied, body slackening with a hard exhale as she reached back to squeeze Monét’s hand. Nina’s feet slipped easily from the water and she put her shoes back on in record time.

“See you soon Monét!” Nina said as she met Monét’s eyes one last time.

“See you soon Nina West.”


	15. Nina III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have I mentioned that everyone reading this is the absolute best recently? Y'all have been stupidly supportive and I don't deserve y'all!!! I know this chapter is really short, but I think as far as plot it packs a punch! Things might start getting just a little bit ~darker~ from here on out, and I definitely wouldn't classify this as a happy story because apparently all I can write is drama! I don't actually have many notes this time around, but I can't wait to hear what people think of this plot line!!!

A few days later, Nina found herself soaring through the dusky night sky long after the sun had disappeared behind RuCo Tower. Brooke was just a comm-link call away, and Nina would be her first call tonight since Brooke patrolled the city far more often than she let the rest of the Council believe. Brooke insisted that the rest of the Council wouldn’t understand her patrolling habits; since the Council’s inception there was always a strict schedule of who was on duty when, unless there was an emergency. It kept members from using their powers too often and gave them some distance so they wouldn’t become obsessed. But really, Brooke did need to take a night off every now and again, even if she wouldn’t listen to Nina when she told her that.

Nina hadn’t _spoken_ to Monét since their time at the park, but they had exchanged a few texts a day. After two or three hours of biting her nails and feeling immensely guilty earlier in the evening, Nina had finally texted Monét that Peppermint and Widow were going to be in the jewelry district and to avoid that area of town. Monét must have getting ready to go out for the evening, because all Nina got back was the cat emoji with the heart eyes. Nina had flushed and felt her entire body heat up. She really wished that Monét would stop flirting with her. Women like Monét just didn’t date women like her, and every smile Monét sent her way or every brush of her fingers against Nina’s arm made Nina forget that fact, only for it to come barreling back like a bullet to the heart whenever she was alone in bed trying to fall asleep. Monét might be naturally flirty and that was fine – but it was killing Nina slowly to be the object of that affection and to see what she would never have.

As Nina settled on a rooftop surveying the streets where only a few were still out walking, Nina couldn’t keep her mind off Monét, and she hoped the other woman was safe. Anything could happen out here. Luckily Nina hadn’t seen any other Supes tonight, but she had stopped a mugging and fight between two guys that had seemed like it was about to turn violent. Nina stopped to appreciate the light chill of a late summer night when suddenly her comm-link snapped to life.

“West! Do you copy? It’s Hytes!” Brooke called, although her voice was broken up by static and Nina heard something crash loudly, causing her to leap up anxiously and frantically look around as though Brooke might be nearby.

“Hytes? I copy! It’s West! What’s your location?” Nina asked, eyebrows knitting together in worry and panic.

“I’m on a rooftop near 85th and Lexington. I’m fighting St. Clair; I need backup! Hurry!” Brooke urged and Nina heard Brooke cough loudly as the wind was knocked out of her and the crackle of static.

“I’m on my way!” Nina yelled into the comm and pushed off, manifesting her energy into her feet to give her the balance she needed to fly away.

Nina took off uptown all the while her mind racing trying to think about what she knew about St. Clair. Her powers had something to do with snow or ice she was sure, but she couldn’t remember what exactly it was. She should have reviewed those files Brooke left for her. She should have, it was just so _stupid_ that her mind hadn’t been able to focus because she had been talking to Monét and now Brooke needed her help and she didn’t know anything. Nina took two calming deep breaths as she approached the intersection, wind whipping past her ears and rendering her deaf to the outside world. Nina stopped and started frantically looking around, panicking as she heard the tell-tale hisses and crackles signifying that Brooke was in a fight. Nina wheeled all the way around and caught a glimpse of the neon yellow of Brooke’s cape fluttering through the air, the only part of her visible through the miniature blizzard.

“Hytes!” Nina yelled, barreling forward at top speed and attempting to shield her eyes as her vision was obstructed by snow. Nina inhaled sharply, trying to keep air flowing through her lungs, but the icy wind burned her throat on the way down and the cold air mixed with the warm in Nina’s chest and she felt like she couldn’t breathe. The cold snowflakes fell against her exposed skin and she shivered at the sensation, her mind wistfully betraying her and wishing she was feeling Monét’s warm skin instead of the frigid particles. The outline of St. Clair was barely visible ahead of her now, and the blizzard battered Nina around in the small vortex; it took all of her strength to keep flying in the same direction. Behind her, Nina could hear Brooke trying to make headway into the storm as well. Nina could see St. Clair, barely, just in front of her and as St. Clair saw her coming, she increased the power of her blizzard and Nina was thrown off course, nearly missing her entirely. Nina managed to grab St. Clair’s arm and as the wind caught her; she yanked St. Clair back, knocking the slight girl off balance. St. Clair, clad in all black like a dark princess, held her hand up to Nina’s face and hit her with a stream of snow. The freezing temperature instantly numbed Nina’s face and knocked her out of the blizzard, and she hit a metal air duct, hard. Nina gasped for breath and the warm air flooded her lungs again, heating her insides up from frozen to just chilled. Nina held up her palm and sensed around St. Clair to see if there was anything metal on her – nothing seemed to be there. Nina could barely see St. Clair, and she saw Brooke’s lightning bolts exiting the vortex and dissipating. Nina was about to charge headlong back into the snow and ice when a loud crackle emitted from somewhere inside – it must have come from Brooke, but before Nina could fully process the sound, she heard St. Clair scream, and St. Clair was thrust from the blizzard, electricity visibly rippling over her skin. St. Clair was flung backward and it seemed to Nina as though what happened next occurred in slow motion.

Nina watched the arc of St. Clair’s body as it flew across the rooftop. It gave an ear-splitting _crack_ as it smashed against a power box, the metal plate of the cover caving instantly against the force of St. Clair’s body. With Nina’s super sight, she saw as the electricity from Brooke’s blast travelled along St. Clair’s shoulder and made contact with the newly exposed wires from the power box. Half a second before it happened, Nina realized what was about to transpire. She lunged forward in an attempt to grab St. Clair, but it was too late. The electricity from Brooke’s bolt and the electricity from the wires met, and St. Clair let out a screech of pain. Nina watched St. Clair’s body convulse as she was hit with all the electricity in the building. The static of it held St. Clair’s body in place momentarily before she slumped all the way to the ground, unmoving. The snow that had been whipping around them on the rooftop fell to their feet in a single instant, the pristinely white roof contrasting against the darkness of the night.

Nina pushed off and flew to St. Clair as fast as she could, praying silently that the clearly younger girl was okay. Nina skid to a stop next to the motionless form, kicking up snow all around her feet. She noticed first that St. Clair’s eyes were wide open, glassy and unseeing. Nina _knew_ in her gut what that meant, but she refused to accept it, immediately pounding on St. Clair’s chest in an attempt to revive her. She faintly heard Brooke making noise behind her, but she didn’t pause to try and understand it. Nina opened St. Clair’s mouth and pushed air into her lungs before beating against her chest again. Nina didn’t _know_ CPR, but something had to be better than nothing. There was a slight pause as Nina felt the smaller girl’s neck to see if she could detect a pulse. Nothing. Nina started giving her CPR again, but St. Clair’s light brown eyes stared vacantly in the distance. Nina’s fingers moved back to St. Clair’s neck, but still no pulse.

Brooke must have snapped out of whatever trance she had been in, because she finally raced over to Nina’s side.

“It was an accident Nina I swear, she must be okay, please tell me she’s okay,” Brooke begged, neon cape flaring out behind her, her voice cracked and terrified. Nina slumped back, defeated. St. Clair’s chest wasn’t moving, and Nina couldn’t hear a heartbeat.

“She’s dead Brooke.”


	16. Kameron III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize this is soooooooooo much later than I would have liked, but thank y'all for being patient with me! I had a bit of writer's burnout so I think I needed a few weeks off! I've also had a project that I've had to work on during my favorite writing time, but that's almost over now and I can get back to writing! The other part was also that I wasn't too excited about this chapter, which is basically necessary filler, when there's so much good plot coming up! Some times you want to write fluff, sometimes you want to write plot. But I was just able to finish powering through this and I'm so, so, so excited for Monet's chapter next! I hope people are still reading and haven't totally forgotten this crazy complex plot! I love you all and I hope you enjoy this!!!!

The moments after she found out the test was positive were a blur. Kam felt hazy; her brain shut down to avoid coping with the severity of the implications. Kam faintly heard Asia exhale, hard, and Kam felt more than saw Asia move slowly closer to her, as though Kam was a deer that might bolt. Asia slipped the paper from Kam’s hand and deposited it slowly on her desk before placing her hand on Kam’s arm and gently coaxing into a chair.

“Kameron, I’m going to need you to stay right here for me baby, okay?” Asia murmured. Kam instinctively nodded; there wasn’t anywhere she was capable of going right now anyway. Kam’s mind was empty. Asia left, and some time later, returned.

“Here Kam, I’m going to need you to take this,” Asia said carefully, depositing a red pill in Kam’s hand. Kam popped it in her mouth robotically and Asia handed her a paper cup of water. Kam took a gulp and winced as she felt the large pill stick in her throat. She swallowed hard again, and felt the pill make its way down her throat. Asia let out a heavy exhale and seemed to relax infinitely as she saw the pill go down. Asia pulled at Kam’s arm.

“C’mon Kameron. Let’s go home,” Asia said, gentleness and compassion seeping from her gaze.

Asia gave Kam a set of her scrubs to change in to and Kam hid her costume in a bag for them to take out. They walked down the beige hallway and a nurse stopped Asia on her way out.

“Dr. O’Hara, before you go, could you take a look at these vital signs and let me know what to do?” a petite brunette asked.

“Sure,” Asia smiled winningly and took the clipboard from her. “Hmm…” Asia hummed as she flipped to the next page. Kam’s gaze refocused slightly as she took in the sight of Asia’s eyebrows furrowed while she glanced over the graphs and scales. “Up the patient’s dosage of Chauniqnerlet to 75 micrograms,” Asia said authoritatively. “Check her heart rate every twenty minutes to make sure it doesn’t go over 105 bpm. And give her a half dose of ibuprofen to bring the fever down,” Asia added at the end, handing the clipboard back to the woman.

“Sure thing Dr. O’Hara!” the woman chirped back and bounded down the hallway. Kam felt a ghost of a smile cross her face. Asia turned back to her and a soft smile graced her face.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Asia asked as her eyes brightened.

“You’re just…really fucking impressive,” Kam admitted, unable to keep the awe from her hoarse voice. Asia’s smile widened and she slipped her hand into Kam’s. The touch grounded her, and Kam laced her fingers between Asia’s, causing the other woman’s grin to expand even further. Kam didn’t let go until they got home.

Asia and Kam didn’t speak the entire walk home. There was everything to talk about, and also nothing. Kam focused only on not tripping with her next step and letting Asia’s gentle tug lead the way. Kam wondered what dying would be like. If it would be sudden, like flipping the light switch off, or if it would be gradual, like descending gently into slumber as limbs start to feel like concrete blocks with no memory of the last moments of consciousness. Kam swallowed tears. She didn’t want to go. Not yet. Not when everything was just finally starting to go her way, with a promotion at work, her college loans paid off, and an amazing woman next to her who was so far out of her league that if there was an afterlife, no one there would ever believe that Asia had been into Kam. Kam racked her brain, wondering what the tipping point had been. Was there something she had done, a mission where she exerted herself too hard, that caused her body to betray her like this? She knew a little bit about SCAD; she knew that one of the cells that mutated to give her powers had mutated again, and after it reproduced, it cannibalized itself entirely in order to allow Kam to fly and pick up school buses. Had it been her battle against Detox last week? She had swung a streetlight at Detox as the red jumpsuit clad woman tried to burn down a building. Had that been the final straw? Or maybe it was when that cruise ship had been sinking in the harbor and she had carried it back to the mainland. Kam’s mind flashed to every mission she had been on over the last month. Which one had caused her death?

“We’re here Kam,” Asia said gently as she gave Kam’s hand a soft squeeze. Kam blinked, and she was, in fact, back in Asia’s apartment. “Do you want to take a shower or anything?” the taller woman asked, letting her fingertips ghost down Kam’s arm. Kam shook her head emphatically, twice. Had it really just been this morning that she and Asia had been in that very same shower, with Kam feeling more joyful than she had in _years_? “Okay,” Asia whispered and she guided Kam towards her couch, gently encouraging her to take a seat. Asia grabbed a thick, knitted blanket from her basket and draped it across Kam’s lap. “Wait here for a second,” Kam heard Asia say, and a few moments later, Asia returned with two steaming mugs of tea. Kam took it robotically and the heat delightfully scalded her hands. Kam took a sip and the taste of pomegranate burned down her throat and heated her from the inside. Kam couldn’t get enough. She tilted the mug back again and took two more large gulps as she felt Asia’s worried gaze settle on her. Kam was finally the one to break the silence.

“I didn’t know you liked tea,” she managed to her out, her voice gravelly as she couldn’t quite look Asia in the eyes. She was terrified of the pity she would see there, as Asia looked at a corpse who just hadn’t died yet.

“I don’t particularly,” Asia said. “It’s leaf water that somehow still manages to dehydrate you. That’s not right.”

“Then why do you have it?” Kam questioned, blinking as she looked past Asia to the skyline outside. Asia stayed silent for a few seconds, then a few more. Kam finally dragged her gaze back over to Asia, where her eyes betrayed no pity, her face only giving away a half smile as though Kam was just adorable.

“I got it because I know you like it,” Asia’s mouth quirked up slightly, which she masked by bringing the tea to her lips.

“Oh,” Kam exhaled. It should have made her feel better, but it just didn’t. It was yet another reminder of what she couldn’t have.

“You don’t have to do this Asia,” Kam said softly, breaking eye contact and looking at the ground.

“Do what Kameron?” Asia’s voice sounded puzzled.

“I’m dying Asia,” Kam spat out bitterly. “I just got handed a death sentence. You didn’t sign up for this. You signed up for a date, a fuck, and maybe a second date. Not hospice care for someone you don’t even know. I should just go,” Kam put her tea on the coffee table made a move to stand. Asia bolted up even faster. She was in Kam’s space and she smelled _so good_ as she put one hand on Kam’s shoulder and another on her cheek. Kam couldn’t help it; she leaned into Asia’s touch.

“Yes Kameron. You are dying,” Asia said quietly, but firmly. “I could tell you that I have high hopes for this experimental cure, which I do, or that even without it you still have somewhere around a year good life left, which is also true. But neither of those things changes the fact that you are dying. And I can’t even _imagine_ what it must be like to get that news and my heart is _breaking_ right now, and not just for you. You’re right that I didn’t sign up for hospice care. But you’re wrong in thinking that I signed up for just a date and a fuck. When I agreed to that date Kameron, I signed up for _you_ , one day at a time.” Kam swallowed and tears started to prickle at the corners of her eyes, blurring the image of the beautiful woman in front of her. “Ask me how many dates I’ve been on since college,” Asia commanded, and Kam couldn’t dream of disobeying.

“How many dates have you been on since coll…”

“Two,” Asia interrupted her, a spark lighting behind her eyes. “I decided I wasn’t going to waste my time anymore, and I was only going on dates with people that I thought might be part of my future. Neither of them made it to a second date. Please tell me if I’m wrong Kameron, but something inside of me is saying that you and I could be the real thing. I feel like I’ve finally found my person. And I know this is a ton of pressure from someone you met last week and you just got the worst news of your life, but I want to just take this one day at a time. I want you to stay,” Asia’s voice softened slightly, and then the corners of her mouth curled into a smirk. “And if it’s not working, you best believe I will tell you!” Kam laughed even as tears were rolling down her cheeks and Asia’s fingers tangled in her blonde hair. “And you better tell me too,” Asia warned playfully.

“So Kam…would you like to stay here tonight?” Asia asked, and Kam could hear the undercurrents of vulnerability and uncertainty lacing her voice. Kam wasn’t capable of answering; her voice would have come out all gravelly and croaky so she decided to just show Asia. Slowly, she lifted her hands to frame Asia’s face and another tear rolled down Kam’s cheek as she saw tears welling in the corners of Asia’s eyes. Asia was so beautiful. She had on just lightest touch of eyeliner and mascara and her chocolate eyes that might just be the warmest part of her. Kam wanted to take a snapshot of this moment in her mind; she wanted to remember this instant, two years from now, as she succumbed to SCD with Asia holding her hand. She wanted to drift away into this memory, and then everything would be okay. Kam leaned in slowly, wanting to feel every moment of anticipation before her lips met Asia’s. The last thing Kam saw before her eyes fluttered closed was Asia looking at her in awe.

A few hours later, Kam and Asia were wrapped up together in bed. They had their pizza and movie date in order to get both their minds of the atrocious day, with the addition of margaritas. The date had succeeded in its objective, and now Asia was asleep on Kam’s shoulder while Kam rubbed her thumb absentmindedly against Asia’s soft thigh as Kam thought about what was going to happen with her life now. She had two choices: she could either continue using her powers and being on the Council, but cut her life expectancy by more than half, or she could quit the Council and never fly again, but spend an extra year with Asia. A week ago, this wouldn’t have been a difficult choice. Kam didn’t have much to live for besides the Council. But now, as much as it would hurt to give up flying, every day with Asia was worth so much more. Kam buried her head in Asia’s hair and inhaled deeply, something that she otherwise would have found creepy, but the faint scent of cherry blossoms calmed her. Whatever time Kam got for this would be more than she deserved.


	17. Monét III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm making up for the unintended hiatus with a looong Monét chapter! We FINALLY get some plot from Monét's POV and I'm so excited for the direction this chapter takes the story! It will definitely get more complicated before it gets better, so I hope y'all enjoy this! It's one of my favorite chapters to date I think! We've got Shea coming up next (it feels like it's been 100 years since I've written Shea, ngl) and we're coming back around to the Oddly kidnapping plot that I just mentioned oh, like 8 chapters ago. 
> 
> But I hope y'all love this chapter, and please please leave a comment with your thoughts! I absolutely adore each and every one of them!

Monét woke feeling elated. She would get to see Nina again today, and it had been far too long since they last spoke. The last words they had exchanged hadn’t even been words – Monét had responded to Nina’s warning about Mayhem and Peppermint patrolling the jewelry district three nights ago with a bunch of cat heart eye emojis that _might_ have gone a bit too far in betraying her true feelings towards Nina. Monét _had_ been more than grateful for the heads up however, because she was able to change plans and snag a bunch of laptops, cameras, and cash at an electronics store uptown instead. She hopped out of bed with more pep than usual and started sorting through her small closet to figure out what to wear, the image of Nina looking all professional _firmly_ planted in her mind. Monét’s eyes danced as she let her mind wander to what it would feel like to slip her hand under Nina’s blouse as Nina looked at with those incredible hazel eyes…

“ _MONÉT_ ,” Bob screeched suddenly from the other room, the panic in her voice causing Monét’s heart to drop into her stomach. The hanger with the dress clattered to the floor as Monét nearly tripped over herself in an attempt to run before she remembered she was a Supe and flew just a few inches off the ground. Monét’s speed made her skid to a stop as she hit the floor, and Bob was already on her cell phone muttering “pick up pick up” under her breath. Bob thrust something at Monét, a magazine she realized as it flapped in the air, and she caught it against her chest. It was today’s edition of _Supe Watch_. Monét read the headlines and her heart stopped.

“ _ST. CLAIR FOUND DEAD NEAR RIVER”_ The accompanying photo had clearly been taken with a telephoto lens and showed several MPD officers and detectives behind a CAUTION line – with a white sheet draped over a still form, only one arm clad in black lace sticking out. That would have been horrifying itself, but the sub-headline and circular photo insert made her blood run colder than normal.

“ _MIZ CRACKER IMPLICATED IN DEATH – LAST ONE TO SEE ST. CLAIR ALIVE”_. Sure enough, Brianna in that stupid pastel pink outfit was clearly visible in the photo, her thick blonde hair cascading down her back. Next to her was St. Clair, and the two appeared to be in an uncharacteristically heated ( _Jesus_ Monét, now was not the time for puns) discussion. The photo had clearly been taken from very, very far away, and they had no idea they’d been photographed.

“Brianna thank _god_ ,” Bob exhaled, slumping back against the wall, phone still clutched to her ear. “You need to come home right now – have you seen the news?” Bob was silent for a second and Monét looked up.

“No, no,” Bob said fretfully. “Not over the phone. Just trust me, you need to get back here now. And don’t stop along the way, don’t talk to anyone. Or better yet, I’ll meet you outside your building.” Bob got quiet for a moment as Brianna responded, and Monét could hear just a faint sound coming from the phone across the room as she ripped the magazine open to the main story. She starting skimming quickly through the story, heart pounding in her chest. St. Clair found dead…cause of death unknown…been dead at least three days…last seen with Miz Cracker at 11:37 pm three nights ago…

“…That is _not_ our biggest problem right now,” Bob said forcefully in the background. “I appreciate that you’re trying to do something nice for your co-worker so she can get to date night with her girlfriend, but now is _not the time_. This is a fucking _emergency_ Bri,” Bob said, her voice going soft right at the end as she used the nickname Monét hadn’t heard since the two broke up, causing Monét to look sharply at Bob, who wouldn’t meet her gaze. There was silence from both of them for a few seconds. Monét then heard a soft murmur and Bob exhaled heavily.

“Good,” she said. “I’ll meet you outside your office in 15 minutes. And Brianna – don’t talk to anyone, just tell them you have a family emergency and don’t know when you’ll be back. Yeah. You too. Bye,” and Bob hung up the phone. Monét saw Bob’s mask slip back on and her eyes flashed as she looked over at Monét.

“What have you read so far?” Bob asked. Monét shook her head, hands starting to shake.

“I was just getting to the Cracker part now. Basically, all they have is a photo of them together the night St. Clair died. Literally, that’s fucking it,” Monét said, rage building inside of her. “This is fucking slander and speculation – anyone could have killed St. Clair after Brianna left! Shoddy fucking clickbait journalism, and I thought Vanjie was above all that! I can’t believe she would fucking do this,” Monét hissed. Bob wheeled back around.

“Right! You’re a journalist too! What do you know about Vanessa Mateo?” Only rage and panic kept Monét from rolling her eyes; she and Bob had discussed _Supe Watch_ on several occasions.

“Not much,” Monét racked her brain. “She was in the same year as me in journalism school; she flunked our first class and was held back a year before coming back and completely crushing it the next, so I wasn’t with her the whole time. She’s probably one of the most successful journalists to come out of that school, what, with owning her own magazine at 27? I mean, _Supe Watch_ is pretty impartial, usually. It has good and bad Supe stories; Vanjie usually writes critical op-eds, but they’re not _that_ bad. There are _standards_ and for all her big talk, Vanjie keeps to them, but this? This is just rag-tag, sensational reporting more fit for some conspiracy website than a published magazine – even if the magazine is no more than a gossip rag.”

“But is there anything illegal about this?” Bob’s eyes blazed into Monét’s. Monét shook her head regretfully.

“Technically no. She’s not saying anything demonstrably untrue – she has the photos to back up the claim and she’s not accusing Brianna of anything specifically. It fucking sucks, but it’s protected speech,” Monét added. Bob cursed and grabbed her shoes from by the door, throwing them on.

“I’m going to go get Brianna. You wait here and brainstorm our next steps. We can’t let Bri go out again until this is taken care of, not if there’s a fucking target on her back – and ours by association.” Monét nodded, unusually agreeing with Bob completely on this one.

“You’re right. It’s too dangerous for all of us,” Monét rubbed her head as she felt a headache come on.

“Lay low and _don’t_ go anywhere until I get back,” Bob said at the door.

“Will do,” Monét said with a nod as the door slammed behind Bob.

Monét spent the next fifteen minutes with her notepad in front of her jotting down every thought that went through her head. They couldn’t just release a statement denying it, not without exposing themselves, so she scratched that one out. And they couldn’t just _move_ , not with all their jobs and connections and _Nina_ , so Monét scribbled that one out hard, especially Nina’s name so Bob wouldn’t see it. ‘ _Find the truth ourselves’_ Monét wrote with several question marks after it. The door clicked open and Monét looked up, Bob pushing through the door and closing it behind her. Brianna shimmered next to Bob, coming back into view as she turned her invisibility power off.

“Got anything?” Bob asked in a clipped tone.

“Nothing good,” Monét answered glumly, flipping her notebook closed.

“ _What_ is going on?” Brianna asked exasperated. “You show up and drag me from my studio…” her voice trailed off as Bob thrust _Supe Watch_ into her hands. Brianna gasped as she started reading the headlines – a sound so small and dainty and so very _Brianna_.

“What the actual fuck?” Brianna asked, looking up with wide, panicked eyes. “How is this even…how is she…I didn’t do _anything_ I _swear_.”

“We know you didn’t,” Monét said, her eyes softening and her voice dropping soothingly. “We never thought you did.” Brianna took a deep steadying breath and closed her eyes before they jolted open again.

“Hytes,” she gasped. “I wasn’t the last one to see St. Clair, Hytes was!” Monét’s heart picked up speed. Maybe they could do this themselves after all. Monét slipped effortlessly into reporter mode.

“Okay, take a deep breath and start at the beginning,” Monét ordered and whipped her notebook open to a fresh page. Brianna complied, and Bob steered her towards the couch.

“That was probably what – around 11:30 three nights ago? I ran into St. Clair as I was headed towards a new boutique in midtown. Bitch had the same idea. We stopped and were arguing over who would take it. We weren’t arguing long. Then not two minutes after this picture must have been taken, we heard a crackle and Hytes was approaching. I immediately went invisible and circled around to the side as she landed so I could get the jump on her. Even as powerful as Hytes is, St. Clair and I stood a chance two-on-one. But then she called for backup,” Brianna shook her head. “I couldn’t make out who she called over the sound of St. Clair’s blizzard, but I assumed more of the Council and I knew we didn’t stand a chance against four, three, or hell, even two of them; they’re so strong. So…I left,” Brianna’s voice cracked. “I knew I couldn’t get caught, so I waited until Hytes was distracted enough that she wouldn’t hear me and I just…left.”

“What happened isn’t your fault Bri,” Bob said almost tenderly. Bob looked sharply over at Monét. “We’ve got to find out what happened with Hytes.”

“For sure,” Monét agreed. “Here’s what I don’t understand,” Monét continued. “How did whoever got this photo of you and St. Clair _not_ also get one of Hytes? That seems _very_ suspicious to me.” Brianna’s eyebrows crinkled as she rolled the question around in her mind. She snatched the magazine off the battered old coffee table and her brown eyes were laser focused on the picture. Brianna shook her head.

“It’s impossible for them not to. From this angle, and the way the building was set up, they would have had a clear sight line to Hytes. If they were still there a minute or two later, they would have seen her,” Brianna said definitively.

“Fuck,” Monét sighed and leaned forward, rubbing her eyes.

“What is it?” Bob demanded and the whites of her eyes reflected with the fluorescent lighting. Monét looked helplessly between the two people she loved most in the world.

“I think we have a cover-up.”

Monét had planned on going into the office that morning and doing some editing on an article she had written about the upcoming debate between Brooke Lynn and Santino Rice before her meeting (dare she call it a date?) with Nina, but with events transpiring as they were, she found herself in the elevator headed to the 11th floor of mid-sized office building where she had talked her way into a meeting with Vanjie Mateo. The receptionist, a cute twenty-something boy with bouncy brown curls, directed her towards Vanjie’s office and Monét took a deep, steadying breath. She was about to go in there and accuse a _friend_ of framing Brianna for _something_ to cover for Hytes. _Christ_. Monét hated confrontation because she knew how she could _get_ when confrontation started happening, but this was for Brianna. Monét reminded herself of that fact again. This was for Brianna, so there really was no option. Monét knocked three times.

“Come in!” Vanjie’s booming voice sounded through the door. Monét walked in and plastered a smile on her face. Vanjie beamed, her dark brown waves cascading over her shoulders clad in a leopard print blazer with a black shirt underneath.

“Monét!” Vanjie exclaimed as she stood up in greeting. “It’s good to see you bitch! It’s been what, three, four years now?” Monét chuckled as Vanjie’s infectious demeanor overtook the room and Monét could help but smile.

“Probably closer to five now you old hag!” Monét shot back as she slid easily into a dark blue velvet chair opposite Vanjie’s sleek, modern desk. Light poured in from the floor to ceiling windows in the corner office and Monét briefly thought she should have swallowed her pride all those years ago and taken that job offer from Vanjie. _Supe Watch_ was less than a step above supermarket gossip magazines; there were occasionally good stories from all sides of the Supe debate, but most of its filler pages were devoted paparazzi photos of Supes and speculation on secret identities and nefarious plots. Monét hadn’t been able to take the job because she wanted to do _real_ reporting – but maybe an office like Vanjie’s would have been worth it. Vanjie popped her tongue.

“So, what brings me the pleasure of Miss Monét here today?” Vanjie asked. Monét opened her mouth to respond and Vanjie held up her hand. “Wait! Let me guess. You finally here to take me up on that offer of your own office and weekly column.” Monét shifted in her chair, starting to respond, but Vanjie kept going with a shake of her head. “Knew that was too good to be true. Girl can dream I suppose. Bet you here about that St. Clair story. Nasty business that shit. I been fielding calls from every damn outlet in the city, _Times_ included!” Vanjie said with a loud slap against her desk.

“ _Times_ doesn’t know I’m here,” Monét answered, gauging Vanjie’s relaxed posture and debating how best to try proceed. “I need some info. I got a source who’s countering the claim that Miz Cracker was the last one to see St. Clair alive – and that you probably know that already.” Vanjie tensed almost imperceptibly and leaned back in her chair.

“I don’t know nothin’ about that Monét,” Vanjie said much slower than normal, which meant a normal speed for everyone else. “And you best be _real_ clear what it is you accusing me of.”

“All I _know_ ,” Monét emphasized, leaning forward on the offensive. “Is that I have a source who says it would be almost impossible for the photos you printed to exist without also getting the _real_ last person to see St. Clair alive. I’m willing to give you the benefit of the doubt that your source lied to you, but I need to know it is.” Vanjie was impossibly silent for a moment, evaluating Monét with a calculated look.

“So Miz Cracker came to you did she?” Vanjie broke the silence and Monét recoiled in surprise. “Funny, wouldn’t have picked your name as my crusader – a third string political reporter who only been on the job five years and never got no big break to her name? Wouldn’t be my choice to clear my name, but to each their own,” Vanjie shrugged, eyes flashing. “I get that you may think I don’t know none of the journalism code of ethics because I failed one class, but I know my shit and I _never_ ran a story I knew was a lie. And since you passed that class first try, you should know I ain’t about to turn over my source.” Monét flinched, but Vanjie’s words rang true. Monét believed her that she wouldn’t knowingly run a false story, but since this meeting was already a professional disaster, Monét decided to press the issue just a bit further and tease some false information Vanjie’s way to see how she’d react.

“Really?” Monét questioned, faux disbelievingly and she leaned back in now that her confidence was returning. “You come off lookin’ pretty good here. You been saying how dangerous Supes are for half a decade and then when a Supe gets killed, you make sure another Supe goes down for it. You get vindicated in front of the whole city, just as Brooke Lynn’s proposing Supe reform.”

“I don’t know _what_ you on about Monét,” Vanjie burst out, cheeks turning pink with anger as she leapt up from her chair. “I would _never_ throw anyone under the bus, Supe or no! And even if it wasn’t a Supe that killed St. Clair, that don’t make them any less dangerous! But did you ever stop to consider if Miz Cracker’s even telling you the truth?! You wanna go after my source Monét, best be willing to take a hard look at your own,” Vanjie snarled, nostrils flaring. Monét forced herself to stay cool even as her blood pounded through her veins. She couldn’t help Cracker – or herself – if she lost control. Monét stood up too.

“She ain’t lying Vanessa,” Monét answered coolly. “I’m sure of it. But thank you for your time.” Monét turned towards the door, knowing she had gotten as much info as she would out of the tiny woman.

“Monét!” Vanjie called and Monét turned back around. Vanjie had cooled down slightly, but there was still fire behind her eyes. “Who’s Cracker saying was there?” Monét hesitated and opened her mouth to tell Vanjie that she couldn’t divulge that info if Vanjie wasn’t willing to give up her source, but Vanjie cut back in. “I can’t investigate or interrogate my source if I don’t know what I’m asking _about_ ,” Vanjie said, frustration evident in her voice. In a complete reversal, Monét decided to tell her.

“Hytes,” she said simply and scrutinized Vanjie’s reaction. A white-hot flash of emotion flared across her face for just a fraction of a second, but there were too many conflicting feelings for Monét to get a good read. Rage? Probably. Surprise? Definitely. And something else too that Monét couldn’t quite catch. Vanjie’s shoulders sagged.

“If I hear anything, you’ll be my first call,” Vanjie promised. Monét had never felt more grateful in her entire life.

“Thank you,” Monét exhaled.

After her meeting with Vanjie, Monét couldn’t quite decide if it had been successful. She didn’t have much time to consider it, as she had to get across town for her park date with Nina. Even just thinking about Nina made Monét feel lighter, as though she didn’t have the weight of the entire future of Supes potentially on her shoulders. She had spent all day taking care of Bob and Brianna while going head-to-head with Vanjie, and now all she wanted to do was find refuge in someone kind and empathetic who made her feel safe. Someone like Nina.

Monét made her way over to the fountain where her heart swelled at the sight of Nina throwing pieces of bread into the fountain as several male ducks dove after them one by one.

“You over here feeding our duck children without me?” Monét joked as she approached. Nina startled slightly so she looked over at Monét with wide eyes and her red hair blowing gently in the breeze. “They’re gonna start thinking we split up!” Nina stood, and this time there was no hesitation as they wrapped their arms around each other.

“Don’t worry, they’ve been asking where their other mom is since I got here,” Nina teased back in Monét’s ear. Monét melted into Nina’s embrace, her head resting on Nina’s green blouse, and she held on far longer than appropriate, but Nina didn’t let go either. Nina’s hand came up to rest on Monét’s shoulder blade, and Monét could feel her starting to worry.

“Are you okay?” Nina asked with concern, still not letting go, still holding Monét close to her. Monét sighed and closed her eyes.

“It’s been a rough day,” Monét’s voice cracked on the last word. Nina squeezed her even closer.

“You wanna talk about it?” Nina whispered.

“Yeah, actually,” Monét exhaled as she finally, reluctantly, pulled back. Nina’s eyebrows were furrowed in concern and squeezed Monét’s arm. Nina passed Monét some bread and she wordlessly threw a tiny piece in the pond, smiling slightly as the ducks dove for it.

“You heard about St. Clair, right?” Monét asked, glancing around to make sure no one was in earshot. Beside her, she saw Nina brace and it was likely that Nina thought the same thing Monét had initially – that what happened to St. Clair could happen to any of them.

“I did,” Nina said stiffly. Monét exhaled again.

“Well, Miz Cracker’s a friend of mine and she says she _wasn’t_ the last person to see St. Clair. You know, Crack’s power is invisibility, so she was hidden when the _real_ last person to see St. Clair showed up: _Hytes_ ,” Monét hissed the last word and Nina looked at her in alarm. “So I’ve spent all day trying to keep Br…Cracker and Queen calm _and_ I had to go talk to Vanjie Mateo about who in the hell gave her that photo,” Monét huffed. Suddenly a thought struck Monét. “Wait. Do you know Hytes?” Monét asked curiously. “Could she have been involved in St. Clair’s death?”

“I don’t know her well,” Nina said in a rush and Monét looked over at Nina. She was staring down at the ducks, and Monét watched in fascination as a drop of sweat rolled down from behind her ear all the way down her neck. Monét shook her head slightly to try and focus again on Nina’s words. “I don’t think she would do anything like this. She’s a good person,” Nina said, just slightly defensively. It was then that Monét noticed just how tense Nina was, and put together that maybe asking Nina about a dead Supe wasn’t the best way to fill their date.

“Well, I’ll figure it out,” Monét said, bumping her should against Nina’s. “Enough about me though. How’ve you been? Did that campaign emergency work itself out?”

“As…as much as one could hope probably,” Nina stuttered. “Yeah, just donor stuff that we needed to get squared away.” Nina felt silent, and it was then that Monét felt the weird energy. She looked at Nina curiously, who still wouldn’t meet her eyes.

“Are _you_ okay Nina West?” Monét asked carefully. She reached out and placed her hand on Nina’s shoulder and Nina startled.

“I’ve…I’ve just been thinking that…” Nina still wasn’t looking at her and Monét felt her heart rate start to pick up. “We should probably end our friendship,” Nina blurted out, looking at Monét for only half a second, and Monét could see the tears in her eyes before Nina glanced away again quickly. Monét felt shock run like ice down her spine, and it was like the moment was happening to someone else. She went numb inside and felt like she was completely outside of her body. Her brain couldn’t quite _process_ what Nina was saying; all Monét felt was confusion and disappointment.

“A friendship? Is that what we’re doing here Nina?” Monét said blankly. Nina winced like she had been hit.

“I think…I think you’ve been flirting with me, or whatever,” Nina’s voice was scratchy and Monét _could not_ think about why that was the case. “But I know it’s not that serious or anything. And you’re covering the election and I’m Brooke’s campaign manager so it’s probably not the best idea for us to be…friends.” Monét licked her lips as they suddenly felt drier than a desert and stared at the water flowing down the fountain until everything went hazy.

“Right, it’s not that serious,” Monét repeated robotically, but she couldn’t make herself believe the words. She knew better. But Nina clearly didn’t feel the same way. What was she supposed to do? The haven she imagined with Nina, with the beautiful woman who radiated kindness, intelligence, and compassion was gone. Monét couldn’t be here anymore. This _fucking_ day. She stood up quickly.

“I should…I should go. Yeah, I need to get out of here. I just…take care of yourself Nina West,” she said, grabbing her bag. She couldn’t even find it in her to be angry, not at Nina, even though she desperately wanted to be, but also had no right to be. It was too much for today. Monét started almost racing away, and if she hadn’t been a Supe, she wouldn’t have heard Nina’s parting words.

“Please take care of yourself too Monét X Change.”

Monét suspected she wasn’t supposed to hear them anyway.


	18. Shea III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and happy holidays to everyone who celebrated!! I hope they were all wonderful to you!! So I'm finally getting around to posting this chapter (so so so sorry for making everyone wait!) so I hope it's worth it! I really appreciate everyone's patience and your comments have literally kept this story going even through the major writer's block I've been having! I think this chapter has (a little?) happiness for Shea because trust me, I am ready for a fun, happy, light Shea chapter and I do think things are looking up for her soon! 
> 
> The more I've thought about it, I've also decided this is probably a soulmate AU too, but I don't really think I'll ever get into details on that in the story, so I figured I would just come out and say that so I don't have to feel bad about the excessive amounts of pining the characters do! (You can't stop me, I just love pining too much). I've already started working on the next chapter a bit, so I definitely definitely do not think the wait will be this long again! I love you all and hope everyone has an awesome new year!!!

Shea had been on edge ever since St. Clair had been killed. It had been almost a week since St. Clair’s body had turned up, and if Shea just had more _time,_ she would wait for the pandemonium to die down. There had been constant discussion on the local news channels of what to do about the “Supe Problem” and whether they were “too violent to leave unchecked” anymore. Think pieces had cropped up online, and the court of public opinion was shifting rapidly on Supes.

Shea’s heels clacked against the shiny hospital floor as she stepped past the steel doors and into the SCAD wing of St. Carson’s. She wasn’t officially supposed to be here today, but she needed to check on the twins and get an update from Dr. O’Hara as week three of the trial was starting. Shea made her way to the sun-lit lounge where she knew Kenzie and Khloe would be hanging out. Sure enough, the two 15-year olds were sprawled out, school work strewn haphazardly around them.

“Shea!” Khloe beamed as she jumped up and wrapped her arms around Shea’s waist.

“Hey boo,” Shea grinned as she squeezed the tall girl close. Khloe seemed to be feeling more vibrant than the last time Shea saw her, and she hoped that had to do with the pills she had slipped to Khloe since Shea’s last run in with Oddly. Shea had enough for one after the Van Gogh heist, and she had discussed it with the girls who decided that Khloe should have it, since her symptoms were the more severe of the two.

“Can you look at my homework?” Khloe begged, tugging on Shea’s hand. “We’re doing triangle proofs and I don’t think mine is right.”

“It’s not,” Kenzie said dryly. “But everything I say is wrong so…”

“I just wanted a second opinion Kenz,” Khloe snapped. “You don’t know everything!” Shea tried to control the huff of laughter that threatened to escape. Kenzie let out a few deep coughs and Shea rubbed her back soothingly.

“Well it’s been awhile since I took geometry, but let’s see what I can do,” Shea said, smoothly stretching out onto the floor beside the twins. It took a bit of flipping through the textbook, but Shea was able to show Khloe how to use the angles and the sides of the triangle to step-by-step prove the claim.

“What are you working on Kenzie?” Shea asked, peering over the girl’s shoulder as Khloe scribbled on her worksheet.

“Bio!” Kenzie said proudly. “Look – did you know that plant cells are different from human and animal cells?! They have a cell wall!

“I didn’t know that,” Shea said, surprised. “What does it do? Why don’t animals need it?”

“Because they have bones,” Kenzie explained, pushing the book towards Shea. “A cell wall lets plants grow upright without bones!” Shea looked down at the diagram Kenzie was examining.

“That is cool,” Shea agreed. Suddenly, a few drops of blood fell onto the page. Shea looked up at Kenzie, who held her hand up trying to staunch a bloody nose. Shea popped up and grabbed a box of tissues from the nurse’s station and brought them back to Kenzie.

“Here,” Shea said gently, handing Kenzie two tissues.

“Thanks,” Kenzie said, not quite meeting Shea’s eyes.

“How long has this been going on?” Shea pried quietly. Kenzie shrugged.

“Just a few days I guess.”

“Shea, will you check this answer?” Khloe interrupted, looking up from her work.

“Sure kiddo,” Shea answered, moving toward the other girl, with one last glance at Kenzie.

“Shea?” A voice interrupted gently.

“Dr. O’Hara!” Kenzie beamed. “Did you know that plant cells have a cell wall and animal cells don’t?”

“I did know that,” Dr. O’Hara said with a delighted smile. “It’s so they can stay rigid and give the plant stability as they grow tall.” Kenzie turned to Shea.

“She knows,” Kenzie nodded sagely. Shea grinned and ran her hand along the small girl’s shoulder.

“Sorry girls, but can I borrow Shea for a few minutes?” Dr. O’Hara asked.

“Sure,” Kenzie and Khloe chimed together, and Shea got up.

“Khloe, finish up that sheet, and then we’ll go over it when I come back,” Shea instructed, and Khloe gave her a sassy salute. Shea just laughed and rolled her eyes.

“What is it Doc?” Shea asked as they moved out of earshot of the twins. Dr. O’Hara bit her lip nervously.

“Follow me,” she said. “It’ll be easier to show you than to explain it.”

“I’m not quite sure what I’m looking at here,” Shea said dubiously as she peered into a microscope. All she could see were tiny little bits of blood moving around on the slide.

“That,” Asia started. “Is the blood of someone whose SCD was caught so early that it was barely detectable. I actually had to run the test twice to be sure. And this,” Asia swapped out the slides. “Is Khloe’s test from a week ago. Hers was just a little bit worse than Kenzie’s.” Shea squinted a bit as she looked into the lens again. The blood was darker than the last sample by a fair bit; it looked more magenta than red. Parts of the edges of each drop seemed withered.

“Okay, so Khloe has mid-stage SCD. We knew that,” Shea said puzzled. Asia nodded.

“And here’s Khloe’s bloodwork from this week.” Shea looked down again. There wasn’t a noticeable difference; the blood was maybe half a shade darker, but the cellular decay seemed exactly the same.

“This looks the same to me,” Shea shrugged.

“…And here’s Kenzie’s from this week.” She peered into the microscope.

“ _Oh_.”

“Exactly. _Oh_ ,” Asia echoed. The blood was several shades darker than Kenzie’s, and there was more noticeable decay in the edges. Shea leaned back and rubbed her forehead.

“So, Khloe is getting better. And Kenzie is not. Which means that the pills I gave Khloe are working. Which means they were both on the placebo,” Shea reasoned, her mind racing with the implications.

“Well, I guess it depends on what you mean by ‘working’,” Dr. O’Hara sighed deeply. I think we’re far enough into the study to get some preliminary results. Sasha’s drug seems to greatly reduce the decay of the blood cells, probably doubling the life expectancy of many SCD patients I would estimate, but she was shooting for cellular regeneration which isn’t happening for any patients so far.” Shea’s breath caught.

“So the cure…it’s not a cure then?” Shea’s voice wobbled.

“It doesn’t look like it,” Asia’s voice cracked, and Shea saw tears welling at the corner of her eyes. Asia swallowed hard and looked down, wiping the corners of her eyes with her thumb.

“But it is a step in the right direction,” Asia said firmly. “I think it could take Kenzie and Khloe from a few months to maybe even a year. And who knows, maybe Sasha can take the data from this study and actually get to a cure-cure.” Shea’s heart seemed to snap in half, but she only gave herself half a second to feel it.

“But we need to get Kenzie on the real drug first,” Shea said firmly. Asia held up two hands.

“I’m not going to ask how you got ahold of that first dosage because frankly, I don’t want to know. But if you can get another, and I switch vials because they look identical and it’s just so confusing, hey, accidents happen right?” Asia shrugged. Shea crossed her arms and her eyebrows furrowed.

“But it needs to happen now,” Shea said, looking to Asia for confirmation.

“It needs to happen now,” Asia agreed, looking just as upset.

Shea sighed. It looked like tonight would be the night to kidnap Santino Rice.

Shea left the hospital and returned to RuCo, where she needed to drop off Dr. O’Hara’s preliminary report with Sasha. She stepped into the lab, where it seemed Aiden had put up a few ghost stickers on the wall as Halloween was only a few weeks away. The only thing more noticeable than the Halloween decorations was the tension that sat thickly in the air.

“Hi Shea,” Farrah looked up at her over a microscope, her voice much quieter than usual and anxiety simmering in her eyes. Yvie sat with Dusty at Sasha’s desk, likely going over invoices, and Aiden worked with beakers at the back, not even sparing Shea a glance. Shea’s eyes latched to Sasha, who was filling vials and putting them in the centrifuge. Sasha looked up and her gaze locked with Shea. From this distance, with her super hearing, Shea was able to hear the heavy sigh that emitted from Sasha as she seemed to brace herself for their oncoming conversation. Shea felt a pang in her chest and a flash of hurt travel from her heart to her fingers and toes before quickly trying to shrug it off. She no longer considered Sasha her enemy since Bambi’s funeral, but they definitely weren’t friends, and Sasha’s constant defensiveness and know-it-all attitude still grated her nerves.

“Hey Farrah,” Shea greeted, turning her attention back to the pink haired girl. “How’s it going?” Farrah looked up at her and sighed.

“Sasha had a rough meeting with the pharm board today. She wouldn’t tell us what happened, but she came back in a mood. She even snapped at Aiden when Aiden suggested we should try a new method to deliver the proteins to the bone marrow! Sasha’s never been like this before!” Farrah quietly whined as tears started to well up in her eyes.

“I’m sure everything’s fine Farrah,” Shea reassured her, squeezing the girl’s arm. “I’ll go talk to her; I have to give her this report from St. Carson’s anyway.” Farrah’s eyes widened.

“Don’t make it worse!” the tiny girl gasped. Shea chuckled.

“Don’t worry, I’ll give her someone to take all that anger out on,” Shea said with a wink. She straightened her spine and held her head high as she turned toward Sasha.

“Hi Sasha,” Shea said, with only a touch of apprehension. “I brought you the report from St. Carson’s. Do you want me to put it down anywhere in particular?” Sasha glanced up briefly.

“Just on the table is fine,” Sasha answered curtly. A flash of annoyance flared through Shea as she tossed the report on the table. She was just delivering the report, had been nothing but nice, and Sasha still couldn’t treat her as anything less than the enemy. Fuck her then. Shea wheeled around to leave – Farrah could just deal with Sasha for the rest of the day.

“Shea,” Sasha called out quietly before she was more than three steps away. Shea turned back around and the fight seemed to have drained from Sasha. Her bright blue eyes met Shea’s and, for once, her gaze seemed defeated rather than pensive. “Any idea what the report says?” The fury dissipated from Shea as this was the closest thing she had ever gotten to an apology from Sasha. She walked back toward Sasha and leaned against the lab table, less than a foot apart.

“Yeah,” Shea admitted in the space between them. “Dr. O’Hara showed me the blood slides. The drug is slowing SCD down significantly, but it’s not regenerating the cells. I’m sorry Sasha, it’s not curing them.” Sasha’s shoulders slumped as a choked cry escaped her throat. Without thinking, Shea lifted her hand and wrapped her arm around Sasha’s shoulders. She could feel Sasha’s shoulder blade as Shea rubbed her thumb soothingly across the coarse material of Sasha’s lab coat.

“I’m sorry, I know how hard you’ve worked on this,” the taller woman murmured. She couldn’t quite explain why, but seeing Sasha grieve this drug _hurt_ , and Shea found herself wishing that this was a cure not only for the twins and all other Supes, but for Sasha too. Sasha swallowed hard and squared her shoulders. Shea’s hand ran along Sasha’s back as it fell from its spot.

“You’re on the right track though,” Shea continued quickly. “Dr. O’Hara said that it might be doubling the patient’s lifespan. So maybe there’s something in this report that tells you how to manipulate the drug for the next test and then we’re one step closer…”

“It might not even matter,” Sasha said roughly, not looking Shea in the eyes. Shea’s head cocked to the side.

“What do you mean ‘it might not even matter’?” Shea questioned. “Sasha, this is still a _huge_ discovery.” Sasha’s gaze finally cut back to Shea’s like ice. Behind the anger, Shea could see pain and fear brewing in her irises.

“Michelle said they might be shutting down the lab,” Sasha said, so low that Shea almost couldn’t even hear her.

“She WHAT?” Shea exclaimed and everyone in the lab turned to stare at them. Shea held up her hand in an apologetic gesture. “Sorry everyone…back to what you were doing.” Shea turned back to Sasha where a ghost of a smile had appeared on Sasha’s face with Shea’s outburst. “So, wait, Michelle, like-CFO-of-RuCo Michelle, said they might be shutting down the lab?” Sasha nodded grimly.

“We had a meeting earlier today. With all the negative Supe publicity going on with the Miz Cracker incident, Michelle said the company couldn’t deal with the negative publicity of continuing to fund a SCD lab,” Sasha relayed, rubbing her forehead with the palm of her head.

“But isn’t saving lives a bit more important than some PR? You told her that right, that this lab is saving lives?” Shea said, outraged.

“ _Of course_ I told her that Shea,” Sasha huffed exasperatedly. “But it’s not making them any money and they’re worried that public opinion on Supes is going to turn even more negative soon. And that an SCD lab is a liability that the company isn’t sure that they want right now.”

“Those _bastards_ ,” Shea hissed. Sasha barked out a dry laugh.

“For once, we’re in total agreement,” Sasha said. Shea looked at her and blinked. She suddenly felt a rush of affection for the smaller woman as she never would have guessed Sasha had a sense of humor. The tension between them collapsed, and they both chuckled.

“Any idea when they’ll know?” Shea asked quietly.

“Michelle said they’d have a decision by the end of the year,” Sasha answered simply. Shea sighed and reached out to squeeze Sasha’s arm.

“We’ll figure this out,” Shea promised, and she turned and left the lab. It was even more vital now to get that dosage for Kenzie.

Shea prowled around on the rooftops later that night. She already had his home address and had done some scouting in the days prior. She knew that by 11, Santino would be home from any election events and would be enjoying a scotch on the rocks. By midnight, he would be sound asleep. So at almost 1, Shea slowly descended onto the roof of his building. As someone vehemently against Supes, she knew the man had cameras trained on both of his balconies, so that would be a non-starter if she didn’t want to be the most hunted Supe in the city. Miz Cracker would probably thank her for the distraction though. No, instead Shea knew that her point of entry would instead have to be the bathroom window. Shea knew there would be any cameras on the inside there, and it would give her a chance to scope out his bedroom.

Shea knew which window led to the bathroom since she had managed to chat up the building manager at a dive bar she had tracked him to downtown. She had pretended to be flirty, including letting the old man buy her a drink, as she prodded him for information on the layout of the building, pretending to be interested in a unit. Shea had barely been able to refrain from throwing up as the man waggled his eyebrows and suggested that he could show her. But Shea quickly got what she needed and invented a reason to go to the bathroom before taking off into the night sky. It was definitely one of the grossest things she had ever had to do, but it would be well worth it if she could escape undetected with Santino.

Shea moved up to the window and stretched her fingers out. With all of her breaking and entering experience, she had developed a nearly fool-proof method for quietly breaking windows. She held out her hand and fired tiny jets of water from her fingers into the corners of the glass. Shea repeated the process three more times until there was a scattering of tiny holes all along the edges of the window. Carefully, Shea was able to gently push the glass from its frame until it was just a single sheet in her hands. She was careful to only grab the flat stretches as she pulled the glass to her and flew it up to the roof. Shea put it down gently before darting back down to the now open window.

Shea slipped inside, the moonlight glowing off the marble floors and clawfoot bathtub. With her super hearing, Shea could pick up the sound of Santino lightly snoring in the other room, and she couldn’t hear the sounds of anyone else in the apartment. She pushed the door to the bedroom open slightly, and winced as it creaked softly. Santino rolled over, but almost immediately went back to snoring. Shea flew into the room silently, not wanting the floorboards to give her footsteps away. Shea took a deep breath. What was going to come next wasn’t going to be fun for either of them, but it had to be done. Shea held out her hand again and aimed it toward the sleeping man. She reminded herself what an absolute ass this guy was, recalling the most recent example from the day previous where he had said all Supes should be chipped like dogs. With that memory in mind, suddenly the water didn’t seem so bad. Shea fired a continuous blast from her hand, and as it hit Santino in the face, he started to sputter, but any noise was muffled by the water around his face. He leapt out of bed, sheets whipping in the night, clawing at his face to try and get the water away from his nose, but it didn’t work. He charged Shea, arms flailing as he tried to throw a punch, which Shea easily sidestepped and pushed the water even harder. Just a second later, as he wheeled around to try and get Shea again, his steps stuttered, and he coughed, shaky on his feet. He fell face forward with a loud _thump_ , the loudest noise since Shea had entered the apartment. Shea let up immediately, not wanting to kill the man. She cautiously tiptoed over to him, and Santino was definitely out cold. Shea tossed him over her shoulder like a sack of, well, _rice_. She carefully maneuvered them out the empty window frame. The cold air rushed past Shea’s face as she realized she had been in and out in less than five minutes. That was pretty impressive, even for her.

Shea made her way down to the docks, too caught up in thinking about Oddly and the drug to notice the flash of red high above her, tracing her path.


	19. Sasha IV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh, I don't have too many notes this time! Just once again me apologizing profusely for being so much later than the weekly update I'm shooting for! I am definitely going to try to get back on schedule, and I do have a bit of a surprise coming up soon! So stay tuned!!! Once again, I love you all and your comments absolutely give me life so please, please keep them coming! I love hearing what people are thinking of the story or what parts they liked and/or hated! Love you all!!!

Sasha hadn’t necessarily been _tracking_ Couleé the last few weeks, but to say she was unaware of the Villain’s movements would be stretching the truth a little bit. She told herself it was just about the Van Gogh, but Sasha didn’t like to lose – and her loss to Couleé played replayed itself in her brain over and over every night as she tried to fall asleep (and then if Couleé’s strong thighs in that leotard became the focus after she fell asleep, Sasha couldn’t exactly help that either).

It seemed that Sasha was destined to fail at everything she cared about. Her cure didn’t work. She was about to lose her lab. And fucking Couleé was the only Villain in the city she had ever lost to one-on-one. Which is how Sasha found herself not _tracking_ Couleé, but simply patrolling the area where Couleé was spotted most regularly. Although Sasha might not agree with the Council, Peppermint’s intel on the tall woman had certainly proven helpful. Sasha perched on the roof of a downtown skyscraper and watched as Couleé nudged a window out of place. Sasha’s interest was piqued, and she wanted to go confront Couleé now, but if she had any hope of finding the Van Gogh, she would have to hope that Couleé would lead her there.

A moment later, Couleé reemerged. Sasha’s eyes narrowed as she noted what appeared to be a person swung over Couleé’s shoulder. She wouldn’t have expected Couleé to be involved in a kidnapping, but she _was_ a Villain. Couleé appeared to be headed in the direction of the docks, so Sasha took off behind her. She made sure to stay well above Couleé and far enough back that Couleé wouldn’t be able to hear her. Sure enough, Couleé was headed toward the docks, and Sasha watched as she descended carefully into an abandoned warehouse through a hole in the roof. The docks were almost pitch black; there were no streetlights and the waves lapped quietly against the nearby shore. Sasha changed the angle of her approach so that she was still hidden from Couleé potentially getting a glimpse of her and instead approached the door where she knew she wouldn’t be seen. Sasha put her ear to the door and she was able to hear the voices inside.

“Santino Rice, as you asked,” Couleé’s voice rang out strongly. There was a thud as, what Sasha could only imagine was Santino, hit the ground.

“Excellent,” a voice purred. “A deal’s a deal Couleé.” Sasha heard a rustling as something appeared to be exchanged.

“What are you going to do with him?” Couleé asked after a beat of silence.

“That’s not your concern,” the unidentified voice replied and then laughed a very distinctive laugh. Sasha’s blood ran cold. She knew that laugh. She worked with that laugh every day. _Yvie_.

“Are you going to kill him?” Couleé pushed, and Sasha could hear the stubbornness in her voice. Yvie sighed.

“I’m not going to kill him,” her voice was a mixture of annoyance and compassion. “But he’s running for mayor and he wants to stop Supes from getting PiSCes and he wants to take away our freedoms. If he wins, he’s going to go to war against Supes, and I’m not going to let that happen. So I’m just going to…encourage him to see reason and drop out of the race. Killing him would just play into his plans.”

“Good enough for me,” Couleé replied after a beat. “I’ve got what I came for. Pleasure doin’ business with you Oddly.” _Oddly_. A hundred thoughts swirled in Sasha’s brain, threatening to paralyze her. She had never faced Oddly before, but she had heard the woman could turn herself into a thick, green liquid and was nearly impossible to hit. _Yvie_ could turn herself into a thick, green liquid. And Couleé was about to leave. Which meant that Sasha had three options: she could follow Couleé and try to catch her (not in the act of committing a crime), she could let Couleé escape and focus on Oddly and rescuing the kidnapped man, or, riskiest of all, she could battle Oddly and Couleé together. For once, Sasha cursed her stubbornness in not calling Peppermint for backup. Well, then she would probably have Hytes breathing down her neck about how she needed help and should join the Council, so that would be far from ideal as well. Sasha couldn’t ethically leave the man, Santino Rice she supposed, on his own, but she wasn’t about to let Couleé get away either. That really just left one option, as loathe as she was to admit it.

Sasha flew back to the hole in the roof of the warehouse. She knew she had to take out Oddly first – if Sasha couldn’t land a hit, she’d never be able to take the two of them together. She lifted her hand and exhaled. At once, a vine erupted from the crack in the foundation and wrapped itself tightly around Oddly. With a flick of her wrist, Oddly went flying across the room and cracked into wall. She didn’t move. Sasha had to hope that her brilliant apprentice was knocked out with only a concussion.

Couleé’s gaze shot to Sasha, and a smirk spread across her face.

“Kitten,” Couleé purred. “I’ve missed you.” Sasha’s face flushed and she could tell Couleé clocked her based on her smirk widening to a full shit-eating grin.

“Wish I could say the feeling was mutual,” Sasha shot back. “But here you are. Breaking the law. _Again_.” Couleé’s expression soured.

“I actually have a reason for doing this you know,” Couleé said, almost quietly. Her chocolate eyes looked saddened, and a haze settled over them. “You think I _want_ to be a Villain? No bitch, some of us don’t have the same options you Heroes do.” Sasha unconsciously took a step back. Couleé, out here for anything other than her own gain? That’s not what Villains were about.

“I-I don’t believe you,” Sasha proclaimed with a mild stutter. Something about Couleé seemed so _candid_ , but Sasha could easily be wrong. Sasha was wrong about Yvie, apparently. Couleé’s face hardened at Sasha’s response.

“Heroes, so fucking…judgmental,” Couleé spat. “The world doesn’t begin and end with your quest for an impossible ideal of ‘justice’.”

“Without an ideal to strive for, it will never happen,” Sasha said coolly, immediately. Rose petals began to whip around her, surrounding Sasha in a vortex of red. Couleé’s eyes flashed again, and her arms began to fade into clear, lithe geysers.

“Oh kitten, I’ve been _waiting_ for this,” Couleé said with glee. Sasha didn’t wait any longer. She blasted the rose petals Couleé’s way and Couleé’s arms erupted into a wall of water that caused the petals to wilt and fall on contact. Sasha, refusing to cede the offensive, caused another vine to explode from the floor and Couleé’s water blasts turned razor-thin to try to slice it as Sasha caused the vine to twist and contort trying to catch the tall Amazon. Couleé took off, trying to outrun the plant through flight, but the vine managed to snare her foot and Sasha clinched her fist, causing the vine to tighten around Couleé’s ankle.

Couleé changed tactics, aiming her arms at Sasha, and fired off thick and dense blasts of water her way. Sasha hadn’t envisioned that strategy and was hit by one of Couleé’s water surges that threw her back against the wall of the warehouse. Sasha couldn’t breathe, couldn’t get a gasp of air, and the pressure from the water was too much for her to move. She managed, with all of her strength, to throw her arm upward, and the vine that ensnared Couleé threw her towards the ceiling. With Couleé’s impact against the industrial beams and bricks, Sasha was released and she heaved, lungs filling with blessed oxygen as she shakily stood to get her bearings, water dripping off her and chilling her in the night air. Couleé had landed on the floor and was slow to get up. Sasha needed the moment to compose herself anyway, her lungs were screaming for attention. Couleé looked at her with a glint in her eyes and she smiled, just a bit. Sasha couldn’t help herself and smiled in return. Couleé was more of a challenge than she had ever faced before: she was smart, quick, and powerful.

Couleé thrust her arms forward again and two jets of water were once again summoned towards Sasha. Sasha leapt onto a series of boxes for a fraction of a second before kicking off and flying to the next as the sound of the previous boxes being smashed with water echoed behind her. She sped up, as fast as she could go, and kicked off a column which sent her barreling forward with momentum, crashing into Couleé with the force of a small car. Couleé flew backward, Sasha nearly on top of her, as Couleé contorted around and hit Sasha in the face with a blast of water that immediately changed Sasha’s direction. Sasha and Couleé both crashed to the floor at almost the same moment, and they shot up in tandem, each lunging for the other again. Sasha parried one of Couleé’s punches and swept her leg underneath the blue-clad woman trying to knock her off balance. Couleé used her other arm to blast her into the air, avoiding Sasha’s kick and upward punch combo to roundhouse kick her in the shoulder. Sasha staggered back with an injury that would _definitely_ bruise and managed fire a series of rose petals towards Couleé who was swung halfway around with the momentum of the kick. Couleé managed to avoid some, but not all, as the petals cut into her muscle of her calf and thigh. Blood started slowly sliding down Couleé’s right leg, staining the blue of her boot a deep black color. Sasha’s heart clinched, but Couleé was on her again.

Couleé clearly had an affinity for melee fighting; she was strong and quick with beautiful form (Sasha was able to notice this even as she faced a barrage of jabs and swings), and Couleé landed a hard punch to Sasha’s stomach that caused the smaller woman to double over, summoning a vine in response that wrapped itself around Couleé’s waist. In an instinctual, primal move, Sasha yanked Couleé to the floor, away from her, as Sasha knew she couldn’t last much longer hand-to-hand. Couleé struggled to break free, but Sasha panicked. She was losing, and before she could think too much about it, tightened her fist so the vine constricted. Couleé gasped out, and then her eyes fluttered closed. Sasha knew she hadn’t seriously hurt the woman, she knew the vine hadn’t been tight enough for that, but Couleé did appear to be out cold.

The adrenaline drained from Sasha’s body in an instant, and she could all the sudden feel the impact of everyone one of Couleé’s blows and fell to her knees, breathing deeply. All of the sudden, outside, she heard the blare of police sirens closing in the warehouse. _Of course_ they had heard the commotion and come to investigate. Sasha’s body kicked into overdrive once again. She heard several doors slam closed and an army of cops start to surround the building. Sasha’s heart hammered, and her eyes swept the building. Santino had passed out at some point, seemingly in fear, but Sasha didn’t care much about him with the cops anyway; he would be fine. Her eyes flicked to both Couleé and Oddly and her first instinct was to grab both and run. But she didn’t even have to do the math. While she could probably carry the _weight_ of both, unconscious humans were bulky and unwieldy, and Sasha knew she could never get both of them out. For a Supe to get caught by the police was devastating in so many ways. They would lose their secret identities and get shipped off to Tuckahoe Prison for Superhumans, where they would be kept in complete lockdown, often for years. It wasn’t a nice place to be.

And then she heard ‘POLICE – COME QUIETLY!” and there was no time left to make a decision. Sasha believed in law and order, but she couldn’t explain why the thought of Yvie or Couleé locked up made her ache inside. Sasha flew forward and grabbed the woman, refusing to be paralyzed by the thought that she could only rescue one. Sasha threw her over her shoulder and bolted through the hole in the ceiling, just as the door to the warehouse was kicked down. Sasha faintly heard one of them screaming that she was getting away, but dug deep into her reserve of powers to fly away at top speed.

Sasha took her a safe distance away and laid the woman out on a rooftop. She was still out cold, chest rising and falling as daintily as if she were asleep. Sasha exhaled, the adrenaline once again seeping from her pores. She made a move to take off and return home, but cast one more glance to the unconscious woman. She deserved an explanation. Sasha had no idea what that explanation was, but she deserved one. Sasha pulled the notebook and pen she always carried from the pockets of her suit and didn’t stop to think. She wrote the first thing that came to her and hoped it would be enough. Sasha tucked the note between the spindly fingers of the Villain and turned around, taking off into the night sky. She turned her brain off and became a robot in the smoggy air of the docks. She couldn’t think, she just couldn’t think…


	20. Jan IV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo cue author's note about how this is so late and everything, BUT this will be a double update day! I found myself really wanting to write the chapter after Jan's, so I almost finished that one before getting inspired for Jan's. Luckily I just finished both! 
> 
> Jan chapters also just get almost out of control every time I write them because I think as I've said before, Jan just always has so much to say! I actually cut a whole scene from this one that I didn't feel the timing was quite right for, but it will definitely make an appearance later.
> 
> So here's Jan, and I wanted to thank everyone again for all the comments I got on the last chapter! They were so, so lovely and I really hope everyone keeps letting me know what they think, because I absolutely adore feedback and love hearing what you guys are liking and what works! The next chapter will be up in just a few minutes!

“Hey doll…up of guac,” Jan chirped, changing her greeting as Jackie gave her a both exasperated and affectionate glance. Jan felt a grin spread across her face, which was fairly common as she could never stop smiling whenever she saw Jackie. Something about the way her face was luminescent in any light and the way she anchored a feeling of _belonging_ in Jan made Jan settle in a way she usually wasn’t. Jan operated at one thousand, one hundred percent of the time, but being near Jackie made her feel relaxed, content. Like the afterglow of _really_ good sex.

“I’m going to let that one go since not many people know about your guac obsession,” Jackie said, a mischievous glint in her eyes that made Jan’s toes curl. Jan flipped her blonde ponytail back behind her.

“I’ve told you before that you’re better than a side of guac, but I’m not sure if you’re better than _two_ sides of guac,” Jan replied, feigning indifference. Jackie cackled and moved her papers out of the way so Jan could take a seat next to her. They _weren’t_ dating – they technically never even hung out outside of class business. But after the second week, Jan had come up to Jackie after class and, with wide eyes, said she needed help with her response essay and Jackie, smile quirked upward since she had seen the grade on Jan’s last assignment, and told her to come to Jackie’s office hours. Every Tuesday and Thursday after that from noon to two, Jan had Jackie all to herself since no one else had appeared in the time since then. Each time felt like a date – they did technically have their laptops opened in front of them and often started by talking about the class, but the conversation always shifted to the more personal and Jan always had to stop herself from taking Jackie’s hand as Jackie discussed her favorite Persian foods or how the Star Trek reboot had never lived up to the original. As much as Jan loved every second of it, she had their first _official_ date planned for the day after grades were due for the class at her favorite local Italian restaurant that had soft candle lighting and a live violin. And on that day, she would be holding Jackie’s hand.

The pair shared a quiet room that Jackie reserved, offering them necessary privacy as Jan pulled the chair out and flipped open her laptop. She cast a glance over to Jackie’s papers, where she saw math equations, formulas, and sketches drawn all over the page. It might as well have been Greek to Jan.

“What are you building this week?” Jan asked curiously as she picked up the page, eyes glancing to Jackie for permission.

“A computer chip actually,” Jackie answered with a smile, leaning forward on the table. “These are the problem sets we’re doing in preparation, and then I’ll go into the lab later in the week to actually build it. Do you want me to explain it to you or…?” Jan laughed.

“We’ve been over this gorg. I’m…”

“…gay, I can’t do math’,” Jackie finished with her, a twinkle in her eye. “I know, I just love hearing you say that.” Warmth spread throughout Jan’s body at hearing Jackie’s voice say the word ‘love’, and she thought she might swoon. Jackie nudged Jan’s shoulder with her own and peered at Jan’s laptop screen. “Have you decided on a topic for your paper?”

“I did!” Jan beamed. “Take a look at these!” Jan pushed her laptop towards Jackie and vintage flyers of Supes from about forty years ago were plastered on the screen. They were actually advertising flying lessons, given by Supes to Supes. There had been a war going on, and society had less of a problem with superpowers when they were used for their benefit. That decade had seen more freedom for Supes than ever before. Or since, unfortunately.

“Oh cool,” Jackie replied, scanning each one.

“I’m writing about how flying started to be seen as a rite of passage during the war and how it formed bonds between Supes with all different types of powers,” Jan explained, voice getting faster and a bit louder as she got excited. Flying _was_ a huge deal in the Supe community; it was something that they all, Hero and Villain, had in common. They had talked about it a lot in Jan’s support group and flying was seen as a monumental step in any Supe’s journey. From what Jan had been learning in Bob’s class, flight had always had this level of importance for Supes and the continuity of that aspect fascinated Jan.

“That’s an awesome topic Jan,” Jackie said, looking at Jan with soft eyes.

“I’m glad you like it gorg!” Jan reached out for Jackie, unable to stand not touching her any longer, and squeezed her shoulder as platonically as she could. “I’m so excited for it. I loooooovvve flying, like, it might actually be my fav part of the whole super powers thing! It’s why I got the cape,” Jan leaned in conspiratorially. “It has for the best silhouette while flying and makes this fierce sound when the wind catches it.” Jackie laughed.

“I do like the cape,” she admitted, eyes sparkling.

“I remember the first time I flew,” Jan reminisced as a grin spread across her face. “Nicky and I were learning how to fly together and the first time I actually made it off the ground I got so excited that I forgot to keep flying and fell back down flat on my face.” The story had the desired effect as Jackie burst out laughing and had to reach out to grab Jan’s arm for support. Jan loved when Jackie laughed with no reservations, losing some of that control that she held on to so tightly.

“Alright, enough about me. What about you doll, what was it like the first time you flew?” Jan asked curiously, resting her chin on her hands as Jackie composed herself. All of the sudden, the mood in the room changed. Jackie shifted in her seat and wouldn’t meet Jan’s eyes. Jan’s eyebrows furrowed as she studied Jackie.

“I actually…well, it’s a bit weird…I can’t actually fly,” Jackie stuttered out, staring hard at the opposite end of the table and a flush crept across her cheeks and neck. Jan’s head cocked sideways in confusion as she took in Jackie’s rigid body language and embarrassed posture.

“What do you mean you can’t fly Jacks?” Jan asked slowly. “Did you just never learn or…?”

“I physically don’t have the ability to fly,” Jackie said, turning to look back at Jan. Jackie’s normally vibrant eyes were clouded in misery, and Jan could see tears welling at the corners.

“How do you know doll?” Jan pushed gently, not wanting to overstep, but curious as she had never heard of another Supe who couldn’t fly.

“I tried a few times after my powers developed, but I just could never do it. My mom said it was because I went on PiSCes so early – that a side effect was stunting some of my other powers so I would never be able to fly.” Jackie’s voice got quieter and quieter as she spoke and after she finished, she took a deep breath to steady herself, wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes. “I always dreamed of flying, but it wasn’t enough to just be a Supe freak. I’m a freak even among Supes – the only one to be out and the only one that can’t fly. Just my luck I guess.”

At first, Jan didn’t understand. But then when she did, Jan’s blood was boiling. She had to blink to keep herself from seeing red and she wanted to scream – she wanted tear the whole goddamn building down with her screech and find Jackie’s mom and…and…. Well, Jan wasn’t sure just what exactly she would do. Jackie had talked a bit about her family and her mom before, and Jan had always gotten the sense that Jackie’s childhood hadn’t been the best, but she had never felt so enraged on Jackie’s behalf before. It was a bit terrifying honestly, to realize that she was capable of destruction, of _feeling emotions on another level entirely_ , when it came to Jackie.

Jan took a deep breath to steady herself for entirely different reasons than normal as she tried to figure out the best way to approach this.

“First of all, you’re not a freak. Get that idea right out of your head doll. You’re special and brave and I’m literally in awe of you,” Jan said as she reached out and threaded Jackie’s fingers between her own under the table. “And second of all, did anyone ever teach you to fly Jackie?” Jackie looked up, puzzled.

“No, I didn’t know any other Supes. I just tried on my own.”

“Flying’s like any other skill,” Jan said gently. “Most people can’t get it on their own without putting in a lot of time. Nicky and I learned in our support group. If you thought you wouldn’t be able to and stopped trying, I’m not surprised that it didn’t just come to you. I bet you can actually fly?” Jan’s voice lilted upward on towards the end, not wanting to push Jackie too hard. At the end Jan heard Jackie give a soft gasp and she squeezed Jan’s hand so hard Jan was worried she’d break a few fingers.

“Jan…do you…do you really think so?” Jackie asked, and Jan’s heart broke again as she heard Jackie trying so hard to not get her hopes up.

“I do gorg. I really do,” Jan answered quietly. Jan paused for a moment. “Jackie, would you…like me to teach you to fly?” Jackie’s eyes flew to Jan’s, the longing evident in them.

“Would you?” Jackie asked hesitantly. Jan’s heart had broken for Jackie, but it swelled as she realized this was something she could do for Jackie, and she would go to the ends of the earth to make it happen. Jan glanced around quickly to make sure no one could see them and that there weren’t any security cameras before lifting Jackie’s hand to her lips and brushing a kiss against it.

“Of course babe. Anything for you.”

Later that night, Jan returned from Council work with Widow where they had taken on Chachki and her shadow powers trying to steal a giant diamond from the natural history museum. Jan’s powers…may not be ideally suited for a museum, as her screeches had shattered a few display cases. But she and Widow _had_ worked well together and between the two of them had managed to take down Chachki – which wasn’t an easy feat; Chatchki was definitely among the more powerful Villains in the city. It had taken some time however, and Jan was getting back to her dorm a little after 3 in the morning.

Jan, tired, late coming home, and covered in forming bruises, was not in the least bit surprised to see Rosé, also tired, late coming home, and covered in forming bruises, outside the door leading to their apartment. Jan and Rosé were close as they, along with Rosé’s roommate Lagoona, had joined an acapella group together last year and instantly clicked.

Neither Rosé nor Lagoona were Supes, but Jan found out later that they had started to suspect Jan’s secret last year when she was rarely around at night. And then this year, Rosé had found Jan’s costume. That hadn’t helped. Lagoona had just tutted and said it was poorly designed before offering to make some adjustments that Jan had gratefully accepted (although she insisted on keeping the cape). They hadn’t found out about Nicky until earlier this year when Nicky, already so comfortable around them that she forgot they didn’t know, walked into the living room when she was already there.

Needless to say, both Rosé and Lagoona were very familiar with Jan’s nighttime ‘extracurriculars’ as they would call them with a smirk. Well, Rosé had recently taken up nocturnal ‘extracurriculars’ of her own with Denali, the captain of the figure skating team. Rosé had been steering them towards parties in the recently weeks where she knew the beautiful black-haired athlete would be, although she would _never_ admit it. The rest of the party would go predictably: Denali would do everything she could to get Rosé’s attention (while trying very hard to make it seem like that _wasn’t_ what she was doing), Rosé would act unbothered and disinterested until Denali was nearly seething, then they would disappear and Rosé would reappear at home many, many hours later in a foul mood. And then Rosé would spend the next several days trying to _not_ talk about Denali at every available opportunity, and often failing miserably, until she could see her again. It was an exhausting cycle, but Jan loved Rosé and wouldn’t push her when Rosé said she didn’t want to talk about it. (Lagoona had once said that Jan spent her nights Suping and Rosé spent them simping. Rosé had not appreciated that remark.)

“Hi doll,” Jan greeted softly, but Rosé still jumped.

“Fuck Jan,” Rosé prickled. Her tangled pink hair shook around her shoulders as Rosé huffed off the surprise. “Could you try not sneaking up on me like that? Not all of us have _your_ hearing.”

“Sorry babe,” Jan hummed, knowing this wasn’t actually about her. Jan reached up and ran her hand down Rosé’s arm and Rosé deflated, relaxing into Jan’s touch. Rosé wasn’t much for physical affection, but Jan knew at the right moment it could work wonders with the deliberately aloof girl. The acidic smell of sex clung to Rosé’s hair and skin; for Rosé’s sake, Jan tried to pretend she didn’t notice.

“How was your night?” Rosé sighed. The lock clicked and the pair let themselves in. Rose went over to the sink and poured them each a glass of water. Jan knew Rosé well enough that she accepted the cup as the apology it was, bringing it to her lips to take a sip, only to find herself parched and chugging it down. Jan put her empty glass down on the counter.

“Pretty good!” Jan said with a smile as she worked to keep her voice down so as not to wake the sleeping Nicky and Lagoona. “Widow and I tracked Chachki to the Natural History Museum and we managed to take her down! We tried to sneak up on her but she caught us as we came in – she used her shadow claws and wrapped them around my mouth so I couldn’t scream, but then Widow managed to tie her up in webs which distracted her long enough for me to get free, but then she cut through the webs and…”

“Damn who knew Supes had super speed when it came to talking too!” Rosé cut in with the laugh she used for laughing _with_ you, which was very different than her laughing _at_ you laugh. “Slow it down just a bit _Sport_.” Jan could tell Rosé was a bit off in her quips, but didn’t comment on it. Rosé refilled Jan’s glass and Jan managed to slow down her recounting of the evening – especially the part about holding a giant pink diamond, which Rosé seemed to especially enjoy. Afterward, she gave Rosé an opening to talk about _her_ evening if she wanted to, but Rosé went quiet and just rolled her eyes. Jan gave Rosé a hard hug, which the taller girl returned with an affectionate pat on the back.

Jan retreated to her room, careful to open and close the door as quietly as she could so as to not disturb Nicky. She stripped down to her underwear, too exhausted to even toss on a large sleeping shirt, and curled up into bed. As she started to close her eyes, she left herself drift into the memory of earlier that day, of being in Jackie’s presence and holding her hand. She _missed_ Jackie in moments like this and counted down the days until she could wrap herself around the beautiful brunette after a long night out on patrol. For once, Jan was aware of falling asleep as her brain created the image of the two of them flying above the twinkling lights of the city together. As the line between sleep and conscious blurred, Jan smiled. She just had to make it a few more days – to the weekend – and she would get to teach Jackie to fly.

It was late afternoon on a rather warm Friday evening, and there were probably about two and a half hours of daylight left. Jan had already changed into her costume, mask and all, and was on her way to pick up Jackie for their flying lesson. Jan spotted Jackie as she closed in on the roof of Jackie’s building and in loose pants and a red long-sleeve shirt, Jackie looked beautiful. Jan landed, her boots making a thump against the roof as Jackie looked up from her phone with a smile. She came over to Jan and wrapped her arms around Jan’s neck, and Jan pulled Jackie close to her and buried her face in Jackie’s hair.

“Hey Sport,” Jackie said softly. Jan chuckled and didn’t let Jackie go.

“You can call me by my name you know,” Jan teased. Jackie pulled back slightly so she could look in Jan’s eyes.

“And ruin your secret identity? I would never!” Jackie answered with a teasing gasp. “But in all seriousness _Sport_ , you should be careful. You definitely wouldn’t want anyone to overhear that.”

“I know Jacks,” Jan sighed. “I just also hate having to be so secretive, ya know? It’s always been literally the worst part.” Jackie chuckled softly.

“It does feel sacrilegious to make you be anything other than Jan,” she agreed as she tucked a stray strand of hair behind Jan’s ear and Jan melted just a little bit.

“Come on gorg, we’ve got a flying lesson to get to,” Jan squeezed Jackie’s hand. Jackie’s eyebrows furrowed.

“And how do you plan on getting us out of the city?” Jackie asked.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Jan asked with a winning smile. “Can I…pick you up?” Jan took a step closer, knowing that Jackie wasn’t the type to be thrilled about unexpectedly literally getting swept off her feet. Jackie’s amber eyes sparkled as she nodded. Jan put one hand against Jackie’s back and in one fluid motion, bent down and cupped the back of Jackie’s knees and lifted her off the ground.

“No no no put me down! I don’t like it,” Jackie’s voice wavered before Jan could even take off. Jan quickly put Jackie back on the ground while Jackie looked at her appraisingly. “Sorry, I know you won’t drop me, I just don’t like not being able see I guess?” Jackie’s voice was sheepish and her eyes gave an apology. Jan beamed, unperturbed.

“It’s no problem at all doll! How do you want to do this?” she asked. Jackie’s head cocked sideways as she seemed deep in thought.

“Piggyback maybe? Is that going to mess you up as you fly?” Jackie seemed apologetic. Jan kept her arm around Jackie and squeezed her in a half hug.

“That’s perfect.”

Jan was able to get Jackie on her back and as she took off, Jackie did seem infinitely more settled. She was able to wrap her arms around Jan’s chest and although there were no physical problems, Jan hadn’t anticipated how Jackie’s breathy ‘woah’ in her ear as her chin rested on Jan’s shoulder would almost distract Jan to the point of forgetting to stay in the air.

“First time flying gorg?” Jan asked loudly as the wind whipped past them.

“Yeah,” Jackie’s voice dripped with awe. “I never realized how cold it would be up here. Or how distracting all the lights would be. Or how you could still see so much _detail_ down on the street.” Jan tutted out a laugh.

“Well, the detail is the Supe vision, but I should have remembered to warn you about the wind and the cold. But the lights surprisingly just fade into the background unless you’re _all_ the way up and then you have to be on the lookout for planes!”

“You can get that high?” Jackie gasped, and Jan was quickly becoming addicted to the feeling of Jackie’s warm breath against her ear. It tickled a bit, but the intimacy of it threatened to overwhelm her.

“You bet! And the planes are faster than you are, so you have to really be aware if you’re going that high so they don’t sneak up behind you. But I’ve rarely found a need to be that far in the air,” Jan chirped. She just barely heard Jackie breathe out a ‘wow’ before nestling back into Jan’s shoulder.

Jan landed on a very tiny uninhabited island not far from the city where they could practice undisturbed. Jan knew no one ever came here, as it was her retreat from the city when everything got too overwhelming. The tiny island was wooded with a natural clearing or two and tall rocks at one end where Jan enjoyed sprawling out in the sun during the summer months.

Jan touched down gently in one of the clearings and instantly missed the warmth of Jackie’s body as she slid down Jan’s back. Jackie took a few steps in the other direction, taking in the full scenery of the area.

“This place is amazing Jan,” Jackie shook her head in disbelief. “I can’t believe no one comes here.”

“Neither can I,” Jan admitted. “It’s not open to the public, but I still have no idea why the city Supes have never found it.” Jackie’s eyes softened and she reached out to squeeze Jan’s hand.

“Thanks for sharing with me,” she said with a smile that Jan couldn’t help but return.

“Of course doll. Anything for you,” Jan replied. “Now. Are you ready to get to work on flying?”

“Yes, definitely,” Jackie wheeled around eagerly.

“Okay great! So first, hold my hands,” Jan faced Jackie and held out her hands. Jackie took them and squeezed just a little bit.

“What does this do?” Jackie asked curiously.

“This is just in case you take off so I’ll at least be able to catch you,” Jan winked. “But we’re just going to get you hovering off the ground first. So! Now, just feel your powers. Ya know that feeling where it just kind of wells up in you right before you use them? Do that, and focus on your hands first,” Jan instructed. Jackie closed her eyes, eyebrows furrowed in concentration, and Jan felt her hands grow warm.

“Great,” Jan encouraged and gave Jackie’s hands a quick squeeze. “Now picture that energy travelling down to your feet. Feel it move through your blood – that’s where the Supe cells live – and wait until it’s gathering in your feet.” A moment later, Jackie let out a little stuttered gasp, eyes still closed.

“I…I feel it there.” A grin erupted on Jan’s face and she felt warm all over. Jackie could definitely fly.

“That’s amazing doll! Now take a big, deep breath and when you exhale, think about the power being expelled from your body, just like when you’re using machines, except through your feet. Just a little bit – not too much at all since you just want to be a few inches off the ground!” Jan heard Jackie inhale, and as she breathed out, Jackie opened her eyes which were now a shining yellow, the same glittery topaz as whenever she used her powers. As the last bit of breath left Jackie’s body, it was like that was the air that lifted her off the ground.

Jackie’s face was slack, mouth opened in an ‘o’ as, for once, she looked down on Jan.

“Jan…I’m off the ground, right?” Jackie asked weakly. “You can confirm, I’m not hallucinating right?” Jan shook her head and she looked at Jackie with unbridled joy and affection.

“If you are, then I am too gorg. Take a look down. You’re flying babe.”

Jackie did take the moment to glance down, eyes still yellow, as her feet hovered about six inches off the ground. Jan pushed off, never letting go of Jackie’s hands, so they were eye to eye. Tears started well at the corners of Jackie’s eyes as she looked at Jan, and Jan couldn’t decide whether she loved the amber or topaz more. Jan’s vision started to blur as she _felt_ Jackie’s relief and excitement. Gratitude and joy radiated from Jackie’s face in the softness of her eyes and the way she bit her lip. Jan reached out and wiped away the lone tear that had started its descent down Jackie’s face.

“You did it Jackie,” Jan whispered softly, voice choking up with emotion. Jackie’s eyes stared right into hers, and Jan had never felt so _seen_.

“How is it that I’ve only known you for a month, and yet you’ve changed my entire life?” Jackie asked with wonder. Jan closed the distance between them and wrapped Jackie in a tight hug as she buried her face in Jackie’s dark hair.

“When you figure it out, let me know, because I’d like to know how you managed that too,” Jan murmured in Jackie’s ear as Jackie squeezed her even closer. They held each other for several heartbeats, as Jan reveled in the feeling of Jackie warm and in her arms. Moments later, Jackie broke their silence.

“Jan? How do I get down?”

Jan and Jackie continued practicing until it got too dark to keep going and in that time, Jackie had figured out how to take off, land, and move up and down. Flying side to side would be next week it was decided, and it would definitely take Jackie a bit of practice to really get it down, but the big hurdle was cleared as she now had the confidence to keep her going.

Despite the cold, they decided against going back to the city immediately, as Jan helped Jackie fly to the top of a tall, rocky outcrop where the sun was setting behind the city skyline. They found a place to nestle down and enjoy the twinkling lights of the city, wrapped up in each other to stay warm with Jan’s head tucked into Jackie’s shoulder and their legs tangled together as Jan’s cape was pulled around both of them. They whispered quietly to each other as Jackie told Jan all about this fundraiser for Brooke Lynn’s campaign that she had to go to and Jan described her brothers and parents for Jackie, as well as how much work she had been doing for the Council recently.

“Have you and Widow made any progress on the egg and the gas?” Jackie asked curiously.

“No,” Jan sighed dramatically. “We’ve been trying to track it all over the city; we’ve chased down several Villains to see if any of them know anything, which they don’t, and we’ve found an empty one in an abandoned building uptown, but no way to trace it. This one definitely went off, but there wasn’t anybody around and there were no Villains out that night, so I don’t know who it was used on?”

“I haven’t found much else about it either. I tried to run some tests on the egg in the university lab, but I wasn’t able to detect a source from it except that was definitely made by a Supe. I’m sorry, I wish I could give you more info than that,” Jackie shook her head. Jan reached out and laced her fingers through Jackie’s.

“Don’t apologize doll. You’ve already given us so much more info than we could ever have otherwise.”

“Just promise me you’ll be careful Jan,” Jackie warned. “I have a bad feeling about that gas.”

“I promise Jacks.”


	21. Interlude: Rosé I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this marks the start of a series of one offs that aren't necessarily happening linearly (this chapter is set a bit earlier than Jan's that I just posted, and I tried to make that clear with Jan's chapter but if the jumping around is too confusing, please let me know!). I'm experimenting a bit with the format of the story but at certain points where more info is needed or I think there's a cool or compelling story from another character's POV (or when some of the commenters say they really like secondary characters!!), there will be an interlude featuring that character. I'm obsessed with Rosé this season, so I knew I had to incorporate her into this story. So here we are, a chapter adding very little to the overall plot, but I hope y'all really like this interpretation! I'm actually very pleased with how this chapter turned out, which is quite rare.
> 
> There's a few more of these that I have planned at different points in the story, including one that I'm very excited about a few chapters from now! But next up is Shea with the aftermath of her battle with Sasha, so I'm definitely excited to get that one to you guys too! As I say every single time, I absolutely love all the comments, predictions, and feedback y'all have for this story (and I genuinely love talking about it) so please don't be shy to leave a comment!!

Rosé wasn’t much for parties. Honestly, if Lagoona and Jan weren’t so into them, she never would have shown her face at this loud, debaucherious, sticky gathering. Lagoona was busy flirting with some frat boy while Jan chatted pleasantly with Nicky and Lemon, who had slowly been incorporated into their clique the past few months. Rosé sipped disinterestedly on her room-temperature cocktail while the undercurrent of a pop princess played in the background, the bass corresponding eerily well with the bounce of a hollow plastic ball as the pong table was alight with competition the next room over.

Rosé was bored. She turned her cup up, draining the contents in one swoop, gulping hard as the vodka burned her throat. She tapped her fingers absentmindedly against the red plastic as she made her way back to the drink table. Rosé wondered if it was too early to go home and how much shit she would catch from Lagoona in the morning for being ‘lame’ (Lagoona wouldn’t roll in until about 11 Rosé knew, fresh off a walk of shame). A frat brother gave Rosé a wink as he poured her a full glass of whatever heinous mixture was being offered and Rosé just rolled her eyes. She turned around, determined that if she didn’t find anything interesting about this party before she finished this drink, she was going home.

Rosé headed back towards the room with the couch where she fully intended to scroll through her phone when she caught a glimpse of a long, black braid dancing like a whip, surrounded by the violet of a tight, lavender dress. Interest finally piqued, Rosé turned and caught the back of a small girl whose body fluidly moved with the music, a sense of rhythm invading the cadence of her footsteps and the sway of her hips as her legs seemed to go on for _days_. Another girl squealed and caught the attention of the mystery girl, allowing Rosé to finally see part of the face that went with the shiny black hair and athletic figure.

She was beautiful, Rosé admitted to herself. She had large chocolate eyes, so dark they were almost black, accented with thick, dark eyeliner and dimples so deep that Rosé thought her whole thumb could probably rest there with room left over (well, not actually, but they were certainly the most spectacular dimples Rosé had ever seen in person). The girl’s eyes were alight with delight as she laughed with the girl who grabbed her attention. Kahmora, Rosé remembered suddenly, that’s who the other girl was. She was an immensely popular fashion student, if such a thing mattered on a campus of over seven thousand students. But Rosé still didn’t recognize the girl who had snatched her attention.

Eyes never leaving the black-haired girl, as though she would vanish like a figment of Rosé’s imagination if she looked away, Rosé found her way to Jan’s side. If _anyone_ would know who she was, it would be Jan who never forgot a name in case that person became a best friend.

“Can I talk to you for a second?” Rosé cut in, interrupting a conversation about a new album that had just dropped. Jan cocked her head.

“Sure doll,” she chirped, leaving Nicky and Lemon as Rosé dragged her to the other side of the room. “What’s up?” the blonde asked, looking at Rosé curiously.

“Who is that?” Rosé nodded towards the mystery girl who laughed loudly at something Rosé couldn’t hear.

“Kahmora? The girl on the left? She’s a fashion major with a huge internet following…”

“No no no,” Rosé shook her head impatiently. “The other girl. The one with the braid.”

“Oh. _Oh._ That’s Denali,” Jan’s eyes scoured Rosé’s face, but she wasn’t really paying attention to Jan at the moment. _Denali_. The name rolled around in Rosé’s mind and almost off the tip of her tongue. “Denali’s the captain of the figure skating team. She’s in our year, but I heard she was heavily recruited by MetU and trains with the Olympic team too. She’s majoring in East Asian languages I think, but is _definitely_ known for liking a good time,” Jan continued. “What’s up, have you seen her around or something?”

“No, no this is the first time,” Rosé replied, still looking at Denali. “Or – I don’t know – maybe. She could be familiar. I thought she might be in my theater class,” Rosé backtracked quickly, refusing to give Jan the satisfaction of teasing her.

It didn’t work.

“She _is_ very pretty though, wouldn’t you say?” Jan remarked, one eyebrow quirking up. “She doesn’t seem like the type of person you could mistake for someone else.”

“What would Jackie think if she heard you say that?” Rosé fired back, but not maliciously, one side of her smile quirking up as she looked down at Jan. Jan’s jaw dropped, and she glanced around furiously to make sure no one heard that. No one had, not over the volume of this music, and Rosé wouldn’t have made the comment if there had been a chance otherwise. Jan punched her lightly on the shoulder, but Jan being a Supe and all meant that it actually hurt.

“Oww,” Rosé laughed, rubbing the sore spot. “Okay, okay, we’re even.” Jan huffed even though she tried to hide the smile that was forming at just the _thought_ of Jackie. Disgusting. Rosé suddenly felt someone watching her, and she looked up to lock eyes with Denali, watching her even as Kahmora seemed to be talking a mile a minute.

Denali lifted her chin, defiant, and cocked her head to the side. _‘So you caught me looking,’_ her gaze read. _‘And?’_

Rosé didn’t let her eyes linger on the small, athletic girl as she looked past her, presumably at someone behind Denali. _‘You were looking? I didn’t even notice.’_ She thought she saw Denali huff but couldn’t tell for sure as Rosé turned her body back to Jan, only able to watch Denali now out of the corner of her eye. Jan was saying something, most likely about Jackie, and Rosé caught Denali squeeze Kahmora’s arm and turn away again. Rosé subtly shifted so she was leaning back against the wall and was now able to watch Denali a little bit more directly. Denali glided with as much grace as if she were on skates over to the stairs leading to the basement. At the top of the stairs, she looked back over her shoulder at Rosé. Their eyes met, and Rosé attempted to school her expression into one of boredom. Denali smirked.

_A challenge_.

Denali turned away and disappeared down the stairs. Rosé’s blood sung and heat spread throughout her body.

“I’ll be back later,” Rosé interrupted Jan, completely unsure at this point what Jan was talking about, and pushed off the wall towards the basement.

“Make good choices!” Jan laughed behind her and Rosé flipped Jan off over her shoulder.

Rosé’s descent into darkness was moderated by the pulsing of strobe lights and the pounding of a bass. If upstairs had been loud, the basement was deafening. Dark shapes surrounded Rosé, jumping to the beat as she found herself weaving through the crowd looking for hair that absorbed the minimal light and a dress that refracted purple. The body heat made Rosé grow instantly hot, and the basement smelled of sweat and body spray. Without Denali, this would qualify as Rosé’s version of hell. _Denali_. As if thinking her name summoned her, a break in the crowd allowed Rosé to catch a glimpse of her.

Her eyes were closed, and her body moved with the music in a way that everyone around her seem like they had just learned how to walk. Everyone else was stiff and robotic compared to the way Denali’s hips moved as she twirled and bopped to the beat. Her braid danced behind her, a whip, as she leaned her head back and it fell against her ass. Rosé had never seen someone _move_ like water, fluid and graceful. Rosé was enchanted.

“ROSÉ! HOW’S IT GOING?!” a voice screamed in Rosé’s ear as a foreign hand found its way to her arm. Rosé jumped and pulled her arm away as she didn’t especially enjoy being touched, particularly unexpectedly. She turned and was met with the earnest face of Olivia, a girl she knew from one of her vocal classes. The freshman was sweet and enthusiastic, two adjectives that _definitely_ didn’t describe Rosé, so naturally she had a love/hate affection for the younger girl.

“H-hey Olivia,” Rosé had to yell over the music to barely be heard. She glanced back at Denali to make sure she wouldn’t lose her in the crowd, and in that moment, Denali was able to spot Rosé in the crowd. Denali’s mouth curled into a victorious grin that Rosé had followed her down there. Rosé scowled. She hated to lose. Whatever, two could play at this game.

Rosé took a step closer to Olivia, invading her personal space. She propped her hand against the concrete wall and leaned in like she had seen every ‘80’s football player do in all her favorite movies.

“It’s going a lot better now,” Rosé flirted shamelessly with the shorter girl, turning on the full Rosé bad-girl charm. Rosé knew she had it, and she fully leaned in to it. Everything from her pink hair to her heavy eyeliner to the pink faux leather jacket she always wore, coupled with her famous sharp wit and confidence (Tamisha would call it cockiness, but what did she know anyway?) made Rosé a goddess among campus lesbians. And Rosé would never enjoy the company of any of them more than once (Jan being the exception, but only because she had never fucked Jan. Not that she hadn’t tried last year – she apparently wasn’t that bitch’s fucking type and now she couldn’t be more grateful of that fact).

Olivia looked up at Rosé, tucking one strand of honey hair behind her ear with wide doe eyes.

“I…I’m glad to hear it,” Olivia stuttered out. “You look really nice tonight Rosé,” she finished shyly, gaze flickering down in embarrassment. Rosé felt a rush of affection for the other girl. Rosé was literally wearing almost the exact same thing she always wore. It was adorable, and she was a terrible person for flirting with Olivia like this. As cute and pretty as Olivia was, Rosé thrived on the challenge and the chase. Flirting with Olivia was like a lion devouring an already dead antelope. Rosé had always been attracted to women who were more forceful, hurricanes and tsunamis of power and will. Women like… _Denali_. Thinking her name sent a shiver down Rosé’s spine and she _felt_ the connection between them tugging at her like a magnet. She knew somehow, without turning around, that Denali saw her flirting with Olivia and was furious.

“What was that?” Rosé turned her attention back to Olivia, who had said something, and took the opportunity to lean in. Behind her, the beat of the song changed and instantly there were appreciative whistles, and Rosé sensed the movement of the dance floor slowing down. The music changed to a sultrier number that was still replete with bass and haunting vocals. Even Olivia looked past Rosé, eyes becoming impossibly wider. And then Rosé could do nothing but turn around.

No one was dancing anymore; everyone was just watching Denali. Rosé’s mouth ran dry. She thought before that Denali had been elegant and graceful in her movements. Even then, she never could have comprehended _this_. Denali was walking sex. Every roll of her shoulders and circle of her ass was the most seductive thing Rosé had ever seen. A drunken frat boy cheered and attempted to start dancing with her. Denali wiggled against him briefly before spinning, dropping down to the balls of her feet where her mouth was near his dick, teasing him for a fraction of a second before popping back up, grabbing him by the shirt, and playfully pushing him out of her space. Rosé felt annoyance and anger flare up inside her, but as she looked back to Denali, behind her pretend flirtatious gaze, this boy was nothing more than an inconvenience. Denali continued to dance on her own, letting her own hands dance across her body as she spun. In one fluid motion, Denali pulled the hair tie from her braid and ran her fingers through it, black hair now spreading behind her like a cape. As she moved, her hair danced across her skin and caressed the parts of Denali’s body that Rosé wanted to touch.

Denali looked up and, from her satisfied expression, was finally getting the reaction she wanted from Rosé. She started dancing with a girl who could only cheer and hold her cup higher, running her hands down the girl’s curves moving against her seductively. And then Denali moved on, turning her attention to the next girl she could find that proceeded in the same way. Rosé knew what was coming long before it happened, but nothing could prepare her for the feeling of having Denali’s attention’s focused on her and her powerful, athletic body pressed against Rosé.

It happened slower than Rosé would have expected. Everything fell away except for the music and Denali. She turned toward Rosé and they locked eyes, Denali’s intentions emitting from her like the sun’s rays. Rosé’s breath left her as Denali started to move towards her, and Rosé couldn’t figure out where to look. Rosé couldn’t stop the grin on her face as her eyes moved from Denali’s thighs to her waist, to her chest, and landed on her eyes as she mouthed the words to the song. Denali dipped and ran her hands up her thighs as she looked up at Rosé from underneath thick eyelashes. Her hips swayed as she made her way over to Rosé in the world’s most unnecessary seduction. Denali moved into Rosé’s space and Rosé exhaled at the first moment Denali touched her. Denali’s thumb ran down Rosé’s neck and her hand trailed across Rosé’s collarbone and over her tit. Denali’s eyes danced victoriously as it was apparent that she had Rosé right where she wanted her.

Denali spun around so her back was pressed against Rosé’s chest and she leaned back, black hair splaying across Rosé’s shoulder, as her nose brushed against Rosé’s cheek. Rosé knew that Denali thought she had all the power in this moment and was determined to prove the smaller girl wrong. Rosé brought her hand up to Denali’s hip and Rosé would swear she heard Denali let out a soft gasp. She dragged her hand slowly up and settled it on the cutout of Denali’s dress. Denali’s skin was the softest thing Rosé had ever felt. Denali shivered against Rosé, who smirked as the power started moving back in her favor. Rosé squeezed Denali’s waist, increasing the pressure more and more as she could feel Denali’s breath grow ragged. So Denali liked it a bit rough. Rosé could oblige. Rosé’s hand moved to Denali’s stomach and pulled her against Rosé’s chest tightly as she leaned down and bit at the tan skin of Denali’s neck. A sheen of sweat coating Denali’s skin glistened under the strobe lights allowing Rosé a salty taste mixed with something uniquely Denali. Rosé felt the vibrations of Denali’s moan as she tilted her head allowing Rosé fuller access. The sensation triggered something in Rosé and for a brief moment, she thought she wouldn’t be able to resist fucking Denali right there in front of everyone.

The song ended before quickly shifting into something else, and if anyone was still paying attention to them, Rosé didn’t notice. Denali turned to face Rosé, and Rosé let her hand settle on the small of her back. Rosé’s eyes drifted from Denali’s challenging gaze, to her dimples, and focused on her lips. She could hear both of their inhales and exhales as they shared the same air.

“Rosé,” she finally said breaking their silence, as introducing herself as that was the only thing she could think to do at this moment.

“Are you offering me a drink?” Denali asked with a smirk and for some reason, learning the sound of her voice made Rosé’s heart do backflips.

“No, that’s my name,” Rosé clarified with a grin. “My parents named me Rose, but that didn’t exactly fit with my motorcycle-and-leather aesthetic.” Denali laughed, causing her dimples to deepen, and it took all of Rosé’s self-control not to touch them.

“Looks like you kept the pink though. I’m Denali,” she said with sparkling eyes.

“Wow, bit forward of you to think I need that piece of information,” Rosé shot back, although she couldn’t keep the smile off her face as Denali tilted her head back in laughter. She gave Rosé what should have been a gentle shove, but ended up being rather hard, almost causing Rosé to stumble backward.

“You’re so _stupid_ ,” Denali marveled as she shook her head. Denali’s grin shifted to mischievous. “Ready to get out of here?”

“Fuck, took you long enough!”

Rosé was catching her breath as Denali’s put her head on Rosé’s shoulder, sprawled out on her back with one leg tossed over Rosé’s. Rosé’s arm wrapped naturally around Denali and her hand rested on Denali’s stomach. As Rosé had thought, Denali had liked it rough and Rosé had to admit, it might have been the hottest sex she ever had. The pink dildo and harness Rosé had used on Denali were tossed beside them and Denali’s tits were littered with Rosé’s bite marks. Rosé was covered in scratches and hickeys, and Denali’s fingerprints on her hip meant she wouldn’t forget Denali anytime soon. Denali was limp, boneless, and ragged as Rosé took in the room around her that was covered in medals, trophies, and ribbons.

“Can’t believe you got a single as a sophomore,” Rosé scoffed to break the silence.

“Perks of being an athlete babe,” Denali smirked. “Maybe if you had a marketable talent, you’d have a room of your own too.” Denali’s words were harsh, but her gaze wasn’t as she stretched up to look at Rosé.

“Okay mama, someone’s really feeling themselves today,” Rosé rolled her eyes, but enjoyed the vibrations of Denali laughing against her chest. Denali shook her dark hair out so that it splayed across Rosé’s shoulder and Rosé twirled a strand of it around her finger unconsciously.

“Well, we all know athletics are more important than the arts, so I’m not surprised your cute little singing didn’t land you any perks,” Denali purposely tried to rile Rosé up, but Rosé focused on a different aspect.

“How’d you know I sing?” Rosé asked, a satisfied grin stretching across her face and the distinct sensation of victory spreading throughout her chest. Denali huffed, clearly frustrated that she ceded the advantage.

“I went to the acapella showcase last year and recognized you from your little girl group trio,” Denali sighed. Rosé’s happiness bubbled inside her.

“Oh, so you remembered me from a twenty-minute set, six months ago, in one of ten groups of performers? Sounds like someone’s been nursing a little crush,” Rosé teased.

“Ah!” Denali acted scandalized. “As if! Now who’s feeling themselves? I just remembered you guys since the purple one was so talented.” Now it was Rosé’s turn to be faux offended.

“Jan? More talented than me? Clearly you’ve fallen on your head one too many times in those ridiculous jumps,” Rosé laughed.

“Oh baby, I don’t fall,” Denali said smugly. “All those golds on the wall will attest to that.”

“Oh, so you just have terrible taste then,” Rosé nodded sagely.

“Fuck _off_ ,” Denali shoved Rosé lightly with her shoulder.

“Here, I’ll give you a reminder of what real talent sounds like,” Rosé said before she started softly singing a few bars of a Scottish lullaby her mother always sang. Rosé felt the fight almost instantly drain from Denali and her breathing gradually became slower and steadier. Rosé kept singing until she started to get quieter and quieter, feeling herself start to slip towards sleep. At the realization, Rosé’s eyes jolted open. She _never_ spent the night; it only made things way more difficult than they needed to be.

“Denali?” Rosé said quietly and Denali hummed in response. “I should probably…I should probably get back,” Rosé stuttered out, heart pounding as she realized that she almost made a huge mistake. Rosé saw her eyes flicker open.

“You don’t have to,” Denali mumbled. “It’s late and it’s cold out.”

“No, I’ll be fine, I just…like sleeping in my own bed,” Rosé shrugged as she swung out of bed and started tossing her clothes back on.

“Okay,” Denali yawned and sat up to wiggled under her blankets. “I’ll see you around Rosé,” she said with a sleepy smile, and Rosé hated how adorable Denali looked.

“Yeah, see you around,” Rosé answered. She started to walk out the door, but then kicked herself as she realized she should probably set the record straight since every time she _didn’t_ , things always got complicated. “I mean, it was great, but I don’t think _this_ will happen again, I’m not looking for anything serious and I have a rule to not sleep with anyone more than once so…” Rosé’s voice trailed off as Denali opened her eyes and looked at her with an unreadable expression.

“Good to know,” the other girl said and Rosé tried to shove down all the feelings that were bubbling up inside her at Denali’s dark eyes and those damn _dimples_. “Well then, thank you for a very fun night Rosé.” Rosé’s heart dropped.

“You too Denali,” Rosé said right before she walked out the door.


	22. Shea IV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me?? Updating in less than a week?? More likely than you think!! Everyone being so excited about another Shea or Sasha chapter really helped me pump this one out, and it really flowed in a way that I'm happy with! As always, I'm absolutely obsessed with any feedback anyone has, so please keep the comments coming! And if there are any queens that you particularly want to make cameos, please let me know!! 
> 
> I've also decided what to do with the little interludes - they're going to stay in the story since all of them except Rosé's are going to be crucial to the plot (side note: who do you think might have some interludes??). Admittedly, Rosé's was self-indulgent, and since it's so different and not necessary, I'm also going to make that its own story in this universe (not anywhere close to the scale of this one don't worry) so I can add any more chapters if the inspiration strikes. Hope you all love this Shea chapter and I'm excited for what this story has in store soon!!!

The light stab of the note tucked into Shea’s bra had been a constant over the past week. She couldn’t explain why the note, consisting of only three words, meant so much to her that she couldn’t bear to be parted from it. If her bra shifted and she couldn’t feel the note, Shea would panic and reach up, gently prodding at her chest until she felt the pinch of paper. The creases were becoming fragile with the number of times Shea had already unfolded and refolded the note, but Shea still read it at least five times a day.

Shea had woken up alone on a rooftop with no memory of how she got there. She panicked. The last thing she remembered was being wrapped up in Velour’s vine and the distant screech of police sirens. She had shot up instantly, gasping for breath as her hands ran all over her body to make sure she wasn’t tied down, and that’s when she had discovered the small, unassuming note. It had been confusing at first; even as Shea had read the note, she still couldn’t quite understand what had happened. It finally came to her as she read the flowy, flowery handwriting that Velour must have saved her. Even after working out _what_ happened, the _why_ still eluded her. The note was only half an explanation, and almost all of Shea’s free time was spent speculating about the other half.

Ever since she had met Velour, she was drawn to the blonde woman. She was strong and smart, and the way she adapted to every situation impressed Shea and always kept her on her toes. And even with a mask on, Shea could tell Velour was beautiful. The blue of her eyes and golden halo of her hair made her look angelic, and her slim, athletic frame looked great in that tight costume. The sexual tension between them was _palpable_ , and if Velour thought she didn’t notice the way Velour would check her out under the guise of sizing her up, Velour was very much mistaken. Before Velour left the note, Shea wasn’t interested. Velour was too judgmental and categorical, and Shea could never sleep with someone who didn’t respect her. After the note however, Shea was self-aware enough to admit that she too had perhaps been too hasty to judge, and Velour might be more complex than she had previously imagined.

With a jolt on that rooftop, Shea had remembered why she had been helping Oddly in the first place. _The drug_. Shea prayed that she still had it and patted herself down, heaving a sigh of relief and flopping back down when she found it still zipped in the hidden pocket of her boot. Either Velour hadn’t found it, or Velour let her keep it.

Shea didn’t really care which it was, all that mattered was that early the next morning she was able to put the bottle in Dr. O’Hara’s hands, who wisely didn’t ask any questions.

Now Shea was back at RuCo, and the whole corporation was in an uproar over an employee being arrested as a Villain. The free time that wasn’t thinking about Velour and the note was spent worrying about Sasha and how she was handling the scandal of Yvie’s arrest _and_ being down her most talented researcher. Other duties had kept her from checking in on Sasha earlier, but she was headed to the lab now to pass off some reports Dr. O’Hara had given her.

Shea swiped the card giving her access to the lab and the light flashed green before Shea pushed the door opened. Her first thought was just confusion, as no one seemed to be in the lab, but then she caught sight of Sasha working with the centrifuge in the back. Sasha looked up and gave Shea a tired smile, causing Shea’s heart to leap in her throat. It seemed like only yesterday they wanted to kill each other and yet somehow, they had now formed a shaky friendship.

“How are you?” Shea asked earnestly, her voice low as she entered Sasha’s space. Shea wasn’t normally a physically affectionate person, but she reached out and held Sasha’s forearm, running her thumb across the smooth skin there, both to keep Sasha from turning away and to pull her out of her head. Shea was almost surprised when Sasha turned to face her more fully and didn’t shy away from her touch.

“I’m managing,” Sasha sighed, although her voice was rough as though she could break at any moment. Shea respected Sasha’s need to stay strong in public; she thought she would probably do the same. And Sasha probably wouldn’t want to show any vulnerability to her anyway. It hadn’t been very long since they’d called their unspoken truce.

“And how’s Yvie?” Shea changed the subject slightly to give her an opening into Sasha’s frame of mind.

“I haven’t been able to see her,” Sasha shook her head. “I went down to the police station as soon as I heard, but they wouldn’t let me in. And every day since I’ve called Tuckahoe to see if Yvie could have visitors, but they said no – not until they figured out how to properly restrain her.”

“Ouch,” Shea winced. She had heard enough stories about the abysmal conditions at Tuckahoe. Supes were kept isolated and often times fully restrained so that they wouldn’t be able to use their powers, and she had heard of experiments occurring to try and eliminate, or at least dull, a Supe’s abilities. The only upside was that sentences were the same as for normal people – so often a Supe was only in there for a year or two max. But Santino was certainly pushing for increasing those sentences to previously unheard of terms – a ten year minimum for using powers.

“Have you talked to Michelle about the whole thing?” Shea continued, fearful that the Yvie scandal would be the tipping point that shut the lab down for good.

“I had a meeting with her yesterday,” Sasha answered, looking up into Shea’s eyes intently. The icy blue looked ready to crack, and Shea felt a rush of sympathy for the pretty blonde. “Michelle had been planning on shutting down the lab because of Yvie, but apparently Brooke Lynn called her personally after the news broke. Michelle said it was a delicate situation politically because officially Brooke Lynn couldn’t condone a Supe kidnapping her opponent, but Brooke insinuated that if Michelle shut down the SCD lab and Brooke won the election, RuCo would lose all of the official support and incentives from the city. RuCo can’t risk that, even with all the horrible Supe publicity, so Michelle said that Ru himself made the decision to keep the lab open until at least after the election.”

“That’s a relief at least,” Shea exhaled. The election was definitely fast approaching – it would happen in less than two months – but at least that meant that the lab wouldn’t be shut down _tomorrow_. “It’s bought us some time, and maybe by then you’ll figure out how to adapt the drug so it stops the cellular decay instead of just slowing it.”

“Us?” Sasha’s mouth quirked up just a fraction, so mild that Shea almost didn’t notice it, and amusement danced in her eyes.

“Don’t let it go to your head,” Shea warned good-naturedly, eyes gleaming. She pushed the files from Dr. O’Hara against Sasha’s chest and her skin tingled where Sasha’s fingers touched hers as Sasha held them in place. Folders secured, Shea spun on her heels, flipping her long hair over her shoulder and throwing Sasha a smirk over her shoulder as she left the lab.

Later that night, Shea was on a rooftop in midtown, all senses focused on any sign of Velour. She _needed_ to know what was behind that note, and it was the only reason she was still in costume at all. She had of course started training as soon as her powers developed, but the only reason she had gone out in the city as a Villain was to secure the drug for the twins. Shea considered her run as a Villain over, and she was hanging up her costume as soon as she got answers from Velour.

Shea had been out every night since the showdown with Velour trying to find the red-clad heroine, but so far had no luck. In a sense, it wasn’t surprising. The city was large and there was no guarantee that Velour had even been out this week. She took off from the rooftop, flying as low as she dared hoping to catch a glimpse of red. The lights of the city twinkled, and Shea shivered. Her costume was very clearly designed in the summer for warm weather; this shift to the cold wasn’t doing it for her. Shea scanned the rooftops below and then she saw it – a flash of red perched on the gargoyle of an old building. Shea turned around and started her descent, squinting trying to make out _which_ Supe it was, as Velour was far from the only Supe in the city to wear red. Her heart stuttered as she got closer and realized that yes, it was indeed Velour. Shea had finally found her.

“We’re not about to fight, are we?” Shea joked as she landed gracefully on the gargoyle next to Velour. Velour seemed unphased by Shea’s presence and turned to look at her with a vague sense of amusement.

“Depends. Are you doing anything particularly villainous at the moment?” she asked dryly as her cool blue gaze met Shea’s. Shea felt her chest heat up and she had to physically stop herself from replying with a seductive, cheesy one-liner about stealing her heart. Velour was more subtle, and Shea would have to adjust her methods accordingly. And she had to admit, she was enjoying the chase perhaps more she wanted to admit.

“Nope, I’m all done with that life,” Shea shrugged. “I got what I needed, so there’s no reason for me to skulk around breaking into places anymore.” Velour’s eyes widened in surprise, but Shea continued on. “I got your note. You have to admit, it’s enough to confuse a girl.” Velour’s eyes warmed.

“I’m not sure what’s confusing about it,” Velour replied, and Shea would almost swear Velour was teasing her. “It seemed pretty straightforward to me.” Shea huffed out a laugh and reached into her suit, pulling out the crumpled piece of paper and unfolded it. Velour’s eyes betrayed nothing. Shea smoothed the note out with her palm and took in the message once again, the three words packing an even heftier punch as the author sat beside her.

_I believe you_.

“Back at the warehouse,” Shea said slowly. “I told you that I had a reason for being out here, for helping Oddly, and that I didn't want to be a Villain. And you said you didn’t believe me. What changed?” Shea turned towards Velour, who was staring out at the horizon of the city. She was silent for a moment, and Shea let her words dangle in the air between them. Shea held her breath, and she couldn’t explain why the answer was so important to her. Did Velour find the drug and have evidence to confirm Shea’s story? Or had something else changed Velour’s mind?

“You were so…certain,” Velour finally said, still not looking quite at Shea. “And _I_ had been so certain, but being confronted by someone else’s certainty always makes you reevaluate what you thought you knew. And I never really thought you were evil. Or, I never _wanted_ to believe you were evil,” Velour added, shifting slightly to make eye contact with Shea. “And so, I followed my gut. And my gut said that I believed you,” Velour said as her gaze softened.

“And Oddly? Why did you save me instead of her?” Shea pressed. Velour was silent again, but faster to answer this time.

“That was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make,” Velour said, her voice scratchy and rough. Her jaw was clinched, and Shea thought she saw the glittering of tears at the corner of Velour’s eye. “Neither of you deserved to get caught. But I couldn’t get both of you away. And, like I said, I believed that you had a good reason for being there. Maybe Oddly did too. But I could only work with the information that I had at the time. And I just…I couldn’t leave you there.”

Velour fell quiet, and Shea wasn’t quite sure what to say. She knew Yvie, sure, and she certainly didn’t want prison for Yvie. But if Velour had saved Yvie, no one would be looking out for Khloe and Kenzie. Shea reached over to Velour and squeezed the other woman’s hand.

“Thank you,” Shea said earnestly, and Velour looked over towards her with a weak smile.

They stayed that way for several minutes, with Shea’s hand wrapped around Velour’s, and the silence felt liberating rather than suffocating.

“I should go,” Shea finally said. She didn’t want to leave, but she should get home and get some sleep, and Velour certainly had some Hero-ing to do. Shea’s time as a Villain was over.

“Wait,” Velour said suddenly, moving her head out from under Shea’s and placing it on top to hold her in place. “I have a…proposal.”

“Oh?” Shea halted, staying stone-still. She was definitely intrigued.

“Hytes has been nagging me to join the Council, but I’m very much against any organized coalition of Supes,” Velour turned towards Shea. “But she does make some excellent points. It’s dangerous out here alone, and it’s always good to have someone to bounce ideas off of. You’re smart, powerful, and you have a different perspective. If you’re not quite ready to retire your costume…how would you feel about becoming a Hero and being my partner?”

Shea’s heart stuttered, and she could definitely admit that she preened a bit under Velour’s praise. But what the other woman was saying also made a lot of sense. Shea enjoyed the rush of using her powers, and perhaps she could make up for some of bad she had done in the past by helping other Supes. She could convince Velour not to leave them for the police, and maybe together they could find a justice that was _truly_ just. Shea couldn’t stop the grin that broke out on her face as she looked at Velour’s anxious expression.

“When do we start?”

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know if you're enjoying this story! I put up this short chapter to get a bit of feedback on whether people like it, but there should be an update soon! This is a bit out there as far as a plot/concept, so if you love it or hate it (or literally anywhere in the middle), I would love to know about it! Thanks so much!!!


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